Courgette shortage hits British supermarkets

[daveyboi]

Such a shame that we now have headlines like this about an out of season vegetable.
It just shows that people have come to expect all produce to available all year round.
It used to be so special when the first of the season fruit and vegetables came to the market.

I am old is all I can say lols

[daveyboi]

[squeezyjohn]

Yeah - if only there was a way of saving the late summer courgette glut until now ... but there isn't!

I wouldn't class myself as old ... but I agree with the sentiment ... can't get courgettes in January ... boo hoo!  Most people are so disconnected from the food they eat, they expect a chicken to cost £2.50 and still be well looked after, they expect the milk price to never go up, but are shocked when dairy farmers go out of business.  They expect tomatoes year round and don't care if they are completely unripe - they wouldn't know a decent ripe tomato if it hit them in the face.  They laugh at us wierd allotmenters ... but we should be the ones who are laughing.

I'm off to pick some perennial kale, cavolo nero, swedes and leeks ... that's proper winter food.

[Elfeda]

Courgette and chilli  chutney for todays lunch.  may be I want bit less courgettes next year  :P

[johhnyco15]

after the glut in the summer i really cant even look at a courgette in any form until late may at the earliest

[galina]

Time to auction my sliced courgettes in the freezer then?   

Frankly, the winter squashes are so good at the moment, who needs courgettes? And there tons of butternuts in the supermarkets and occasionally others too.   

[Plot 18]

Grow Tromba d'Albenga they can be used green as courgettes and later ones can be ripened and stored over winter. I'm still eating the long thin necks of these in the same way I would eat courgettes. The seeds are only in the fat end, so you can slice them across or lengthwise without seeds :)

http://www.seedsofitaly.com/Squash_Tromba_Of_Albenga/p1834925_8313519.aspx

[squeezyjohn]

I wish I liked the taste of winter squashes more ... they're so productive and big and store so well ... but I just can't cope with the sweet mealy taste - they're more like a bad pudding than a part of a dinner!

As for tromba d'albegna ... I grew them again this year and they are nice when small and young as courgettes ... but there's something seriously toxic about them when they mature ... not only do they give us all stomach upsets when cooked, they also give me a dreadful sore rash when cutting and handling them in the kitchen.  Maybe it's just a chance family allergy, but I don't think they're good eating.

[Plot 18]

That's a shame, we love them here!

[Digeroo]

Failed with tromba last year I love them.  Hope to do better rhis year.

But I have so many courgettes during the summer that I am pleased for a break.

I can remember a time before courgettes arrived in UK.  Possibly part of the problem is that in many countries they are pale skinned. 

[gwynleg]

I wish I liked the taste of winter squashes more ... they're so productive and big and store so well ... but I just can't cope with the sweet mealy taste - they're more like a bad pudding than a part of a dinner!

SqueezyJohn - have you tried many winter squashes? I can think of some that fit with your description of being sweet and mealy but others that are not really sweet and more like a potato in texture (not mealy). It'd be a shame to give up on all of them when you might find one that fits the bill!

[lezelle]

Hi Ya, I am not disappointed that courgettes and cukes are in short supply, they can have my share I hate the taste of them.

[Elfeda]

I planted few more plants in the md summer last year and had to freeze a good lot. now do not want to grow as much this year.  any one could you please take out all various  courgette  seeds from my seed tin please :D

[Obelixx]

For me, courgettes are a summer veg and pretty dull and tasteless so I certainly don't buy them in winter.  We do love winter squashes tho so butternut and the small red potimarron feature frequently as soups or roasted or curried dishes, with or without any meat.   

Great plants to grow too although the last 2 years in my Belgian garden were a complete squash washout.  Hope to do better here if I get the irrigation right.   Might grow one courgette plant.

[Debs]

Maybe people's opinions on courgette and squash could be changed, if people could post recommended varieties and accompanying recipes?

From me, I have a lovely Parmesan and courgette crown recipe which was originally posted by Tim.
It makes a lovely accompaniment to homemade soup 😋

Will find and post over next few days...

Debs 

[Obelixx]

Plenty of recipes on BBC Good Food and BBC Food and then there are sites like Taste in Australia an, of course, googling "pumpkin+recipe" will bring loads of ideas.

[galina]

Have just cut up one of Squash64's Sicilian squashes.  It had developed a tiny spot, but 99 percent was still perfect.  We will get several meals out of it and I am really looking forward to a vegetable bake tonight.  Still have all the maxima squashes to go which last the longest.  I am sorry to read that people can react allergic to them, such a shame, because they are pretty awesome as winter vegetables and can be cooked/baked in so many different ways. 

Today's news is a shortage of iceberg lettuces.  It strikes me as quite odd that there is even a big market for icebergs at this time of year.  Do we all have to learn how to eat seasonal vegetables again?  The year round availability of all foods is such a recent concept.  Even if we want to eat salads in February, there is so much local or homegrown choice.  Like rocket, cress, watercress, lamb's lettuce, witloof chicories, chinese cabbage, carrot salads with raisins and nuts and so on.  Even potato salad with pickled gherkins or onions.  Admittedly my real lettuces in the greenhouse are at a bit of a standstill at the moment, because of the cold and dark weather last month, but there are so many other salad foods available.  No need to miss icebergs. 

[Borlotti]

Oh dear, we are all going to die, no iceberg lettuces.  Maybe I will get my Birds Eye frozen sprouts out of the freezer that they have lurked for many years, if case we didn't have any for Xmas.  But I do like a salad as a side dish, but the salad in bags has no taste, I expect we will all survive.

[ACE]

I put a few all year round lettuce in my coldframe. Not much of a lettuce but better than nothing. I cropped a couple by just taking the leaves I wanted for the day and they are still going strong although I don't eat a lot of it this time of year as I would take hot veggie soup over a sandwich or salad when it is this cold. A handful of frozen courgette chunks, onion,  bit of kale, a spud and some carrots chucked into the Vita Mix and 3 minutes later, hot soup.

[Obelixx]

I don't get Iceberg lettuces - nasty, flavourless things.  We like rocket, watercress, oak leaf lettuce, cos lettuce - in season and preferably home grown or organic.

[johhnyco15]

I don't get Iceberg lettuces - nasty, flavourless things.  We like rocket, watercress, oak leaf lettuce, cos lettuce - in season and preferably home grown or organic.

try growing Saladin iceberg you wont look at another iceberg again they are sweet and flavoursome  i love them however i never buy lettuce only eat the ones i grow