Courgettes

[gingercat02]

New veg grower this year looking for expertise.
Looks like about 6-8 courgettes under the massive elephant ear leaves
The flowers have withered and fallen off most of them. Does that mean that they are ready to pick? They are quite small but perhaps I'm just used to massive supermarket ones

Let them grow a bit but not too much or you'll end up with marrows

If you pick them, more will probably grow.

I pick my courgettes when they are quite small, as they taste nicer.

You need to keep picking them to encourage more fruit.

And the flowers are edible too - delicious stuffed with ricotta and then deep fried.

Yes they are smaller, mine are normally approx 8 inches. Enjoy

Start picking them.

But don’t turn your back on them esp if it rains or when you next look you’ll have approx 800 marrows

I love a marrow!

I love a marrow too but I've got round courgettes and they are a bit weird as round marrows.

Thanks. Will pick at the weekend. I remember growing one at primary school which just grew and grew until it burst 😪

We planted courgettes too, I forgot all about them and when I remembered to go check on them we had absolutley massive things bigger than my very large cat... the largest one was 30 inches long.... I was too scared to cook it, didn’t know where to start to eat honest so we gave them away 😂
How do you even cook marrows? Does anyone know??

I know it's personal preference and taste, but to me courgettes (zuchinni) and cucumber are just watery bits of greenery. Hate them. But I read somewhere that certain people just don't like them + coriander, I'm on that list so!

@Hellbentwellwent

We planted courgettes too, I forgot all about them and when I remembered to go check on them we had absolutley massive things bigger than my very large cat... the largest one was 30 inches long.... I was too scared to cook it, didn’t know where to start to eat honest so we gave them away 😂 How do you even cook marrows? Does anyone know??

They go pretty tough when they are too big. Better with the skin off at that point but you can use them to bulk out chilli, curry etc. Or stuff them I think. Prefer a courgette though!

I cut the seeds out and carve the delicate flesh into sort of ovals. Steam them.
Or cut longways and stuff with garlicky stuffing of your choice - mince or lentils or whatever. Bake in oven. Not everyone likes it as when it’s done badly it’s horrible.

I cook it like any squash.
You will struggle to find a recipe that isn't stuffed marrow or chutney.

They are a total waste of space since so many are trying to find things to do with them!

Sorry I did not mean to offend the lovers of courgettes. I don't get it myself, but like cucumber and coriander, I do think it is a genetic thing for those who dislike them lol.

I love courgettes and have 4 yellow and 4 green plants this year. I tend to slice them thinnish and fry with sliced mushrooms. I keep these in the fridge and just eat them as snacks with a spoonful of pesto or add them to pasta dishes. Also make courgette fries in batter. I'll have loads this year so will slice up and freeze them for using in the winter.

I hate marrows though and give them away if they get to that size

Let them get to the size of medium courgettes but not too big. We usually put a piece of broken tile under each courgette while it's growing to stop it being in contact with the wet soil.

Do courgettes turn into marrows then? I thought marrows were a different plant! I had no idea

@AlwaysLatte

Do courgettes turn into marrows then? I thought marrows were a different plant! I had no idea

Yes, they do.

And the bigger they get, the more tasteless and useless they become.

OP, if you leave them to the weekend you may find that they have grown too large.

Just pick them a little and often when the size looks right. You can keep them in the fridge for a few days until you have enough to cook in one go.

Stuffed marrow with a meaty filling can be lovely. Scrape out the seeds and partially cook in the oven then fill with the coojed meat mixture and maybe a cheese or cheese sauce topping. Bake. You can also cut it into rings with the middle scooped put and these will cook more quickly.

"Courge" is the French for squash, hence "courgette" = baby squash.
Similarly in Italian - zucca/zucchini

The only real difference, I think, is tha varieties grown for cougrettes will have been bred to produce a lot of female flowers, whereas varieties to be grown as marrows don't need as many female flowers but will have been bred for size of marrow.

Stuffed marrow: scoop out seeds, fill with mince, herbs to taste, bake in oven till meat is cooked. Or you can cut into rings and stuff the centre of each.

The flowers have withered and fallen off most of them. Does that mean that they are ready to pick? They are quite small but perhaps I'm just used to massive supermarket ones The flower usually falls off after a few days, but the fruit will keep growing. Advice is to pick relatively small to encourage more female flowers. Plant's aim is to produce seed, so you need to keep frustrating that, so that the plant will keep trying.

@saltycat

I know it's personal preference and taste, but to me courgettes (zuchinni) and cucumber are just watery bits of greenery. Hate them. But I read somewhere that certain people just don't like them + coriander, I'm on that list so!

I don't like coriander, but I like courgettes.

Home grown ones seem a bit firmer and therefore more tasty.

Home grown cucumbers have massively more taste that supermarket ones - I've stopped buying cucumbers- I just go without during winter.

I cut my last lot into wedges and coated them in olive oil and seasoning (chilli flakes were involved I think) and roasted them (skin side down on a baking tray for 25 mins), worked pretty well.