Why do people grow marrows?

[FormerlySpeckledyHen]

Surely they are the most pointless vegetable on the planet, yet I come home every day to find a couple of the bloody things on my doorstep from kindly neighbours. I’m overrun with the effing things! They all say the same ‘They were courgettes yesterday and today they are huge’
Why grow the sodding things in the first place? It’s the same ever year fgs.

Aw that sounds really sweet of them though

You have your answer - they don’t grow marrows, they grow courgettes but don’t pick them in time.

I love marrows! When I grow courgettes I always allow some to grow to blue whale size for stuffed marrow 😋

Someone in my area has left a few big cardboard boxes outside their house, filled with marrows, for people to take for free. They haven't 🤣

I think you summed it up in your OP, people grow courgettes, and happily cook courgettes, then they blink and there are marrows! A lot of people don't know what to do with marrows or have the space to do anything to be fair. We came back from holiday to around 9 marrows on our plants, have made a massive batch of chutney, eated stuffed marrow, marrow pie, and a couple are still waiting to be used, but they will be!

Because courgettes are so easy to grow, minimal effort for maximum reward.

Marrows 🤮

I don't think they can help it. They just happen.

Yes I had a patient that would bring them in from his allotment. Very sweet of him but none of us knew what to do with them. What do you do with them? Ratatouille? I must say I’m not a big fan of courgettes either, I find them slimy & watery.

Like your neighbours OP, I grow courgettes, but not specifically marrows!

Courgettes are the ninjas of the veggie patch. They do grow rapidly and have a special technique of hiding behind large leaves or if grown in pot, will grow behind the pot in obscurity and then jump out as a giant marrow! When I have captured the ninja marrow, I've used these recipes. The jam is actually delicious BTW.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/marrow-ginger-jam

https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/meat-and-poultry/stuffed-marrow/

To make marrow and ginger jam ...mmmm delicious!

Disgusting things, so are courgettes and cucumbers, and coriander. I think I have THAT gene.

Such tasteless, watery useless things that only get eaten if you spend a fortune tarting them up with tastier things.

I grow mint in a pot, that's it. Lovely mint tea and mint flavoured fizzy water. If anyone gave me a marrow I'd open it up and leave in the garden for the birds to peck at, but I'd say even they would ignore the damned things.

I hollow them out and make something like this...
I'm usually the only one on the piste with 'em.
.

Mmmm stuffed marrow rings is a favourite autumn dinner here. Spicy mince, topped with breadcrumbs for texture, baked in a ring of marrow. Very seasonal.

All you courgette haters - you need to slice them up, put them in a hot griddle pan with garlic and chilli flakes. Toss them with tagliatelle, grated parmesan and olive oil, a few pine nuts. Delicious and cheap!

Oh I like Courgettes. I make zucchini bread and toss them into soups or stews. Breaded and deep fired or air fried is good Dh likes them with butter and parmesan cheese microwaved for a very short time or baked in the oven.
There are loads of recipes for them.

Yes. You have a lovely courgette one day and boom tomorrow it’s a marrow. If you catch the marrow young enough it’s not bad eating as bulk. We’ve just had some in a tomato sauce with some leftover pork. Not inspired but perfectly edible.

I thought they were grown for massive vegetable competitions? The winner at the village fair was the size of a wheelbarrow

Do they taste different from courgettes?

Yes! They taste of disappointment.

😂

As life goes I guess growing a marrow must be more satisfying than not growing a marrow.

Oh I love marrows! Just boiled and then served with butter & black pepper.

Hopefully, there'll be some in the shops, but they can be hard to come by.

Three possibilities

• they're channelling their inner Deirdre Barlow (who amongst other talents and several husbands had a signature recipe for stuffed marrow)
• they are entering a biggest glossiest vegetable class at the local village show (not, one hopes in the county of Midsomer)
• they just really, really like chutney

As above, just really annoying fast growing courgettes.

I've found a brilliant recipe for courgette brownies, and have successfully used a marrow to make my first experimental batch. They were lovely!