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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Deb P on June 28, 2015, 16:55:01
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Went out for a meal with friends last night, one of whom had recently started growing veg in her garden. She told us how her husband had sown several whole packets of courgette seeds, on the basis that some might not germinate, some will rot or be slugged, but were now the proud owners of 50 plants.....what amused me was that they realised they had grown too many, so had only planted out THIRTY and had given the rest away!!!
I was chuckling all night, I couldn't help it. I said she had better get that book ... But she interrupted me and said "I've already got it!!!"
She's already cutting 30 courgettes every day.....
Ah well we've all done it, but not on such a grand scale..... :tongue3:
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:laughing7:
And I thought I've done it with my 6 plants when I'm the only one eating the buggers..
'Brilliant' ...lesson that your friend won't never ever forget and unlikely to repeat in a hurry :icon_cheers:
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I always seem to grow a lot. I put in a few of several types and most came up. This year I have been very good I only have 9 at the lottie. But I will not mention I have lots at home as well. But I do keep the U3A recorder group supplied. And I have the plot neighbours, they will eat their way through any spare courgettes.
And I also have 15 tromba d'albenga. I had none last year so have gone a bit OTT..
I think of them more as weed control.
Someone on our site has about 50 assorted courgettes and pumpkins they are all in neat rows about a foot apart. Not sure how that will work out when each leaf is two feet across.
There are loads of recipes. If you run out of them try googling Zucchini recipes. I came across one which was zucchini, corn and parmesan. Hope to be able to give it a whirl. Courgettes just starting to go viral, but the corn will be a while yet.
The pollen beetles have arrived so it is all systems go.
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I was googling the collective noun for courgettes,
One suggestion is a glut. The other which I rather like is an embarrassment of courgettes.
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Tell your friend to get a spiraliser- it uses up the courgettes very quickly (not that I've got any more than an inch long yet!)
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I have about 12 courgettes/summer squash, and about 10 winter squash. Probably too many for 2 of us, but I had too many varieties I wanted to try, which was compounded by the fact that I don't have anyone to give my "insurance" plants to and I can't bring myself to throw a healthy little plant away!
My favourite thing to do with courgettes other than roasted or sautéed is to dice them small and add to avgolemeno (Greek egg lemon soup), or grated in home-made burgers. Also delicious stuffed.
I like courgettes a lot, so I'm looking forward to getting load of them. Not yet though, the first flower is going to open tomorrow...
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Been eating them very small all last week. Not fed up yet, but pleased to have a different veg from broad beans. Planted in bottomless buckets sunk into the huge heap of stuff I cleared from the new plot. Too many really but we have loads of people who will take them off my hands.
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Last time I huge glut of courgettes, I pickled some...turned them into spicy 'gherkins' :icon_cheers: One could not tell the difference! The smaller the better for pickling to keep some 'crunch' as larger ones, particularly if sliced tend to go that little bit too soft if not careful.
Courgettes are that much easier and better yielding than gherkin cucumbers (for me anyway)..that I don't always even bother with the 'real thing'.
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Last year I crept out at night and left them on neighbours doorsteps. This year only one plant given to me as none ofmy seeds came up, I blame the cat or B&Q compost, OH got 2 large bags, wrong kind and me so mean I used it. :BangHead:
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I always use cheapo B&Q peat-free compost. If my seeds will grow in there they'll have no problems with my horrible clay. ;)
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Very pleased. 7 yellow parador, 6 clarita and 2 Cavilli, excellent. All a nice size, bit smaller than supermarket ones. I am sure they used to sell them smaller.
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Last time I huge glut of courgettes, I pickled some...turned them into spicy 'gherkins' :icon_cheers: One could not tell the difference! The smaller the better for pickling to keep some 'crunch' as larger ones, particularly if sliced tend to go that little bit too soft if not careful.
Courgettes are that much easier and better yielding than gherkin cucumbers (for me anyway)..that I don't always even bother with the 'real thing'.
What pickle recipe did you use please?
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Deb P, If any of your friends courgettes are yellow fruited, I might well be interested in taking some of them off her hands and my first plants were decimated by the winds. So if she's got any yellow ones available in the next 4 weeks and would like to swap for some jams or chutney please let me know, as I only live a few miles away.
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I'll ask her, apparently there are several varieties!
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Deb P
I tried to PM you, but I'm not sure it was sent. I'm still interested if your friend has any yellow courgettes available.
I'll swap for jams/marmalades/chutney
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I'd have their excess... the blackfly have set mine back so far I'll be lucky to get fruit by Christmas!
Adrian
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Rather oddly there are quite a few courgette plants around the site with major blackfly problems. I have been growing courgettes for 40 years and never seen a blackfly attacked. Some plants are completely narled with them. Not far away mine are fine. I thought to start with it was weedkiller problems but the leaves are curling the wrong way and tend to look dark. Some of the plants are finally growing some good leaves but no much sign or flowers or fruit.
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Some of my plants have patches of blackfly on the leaves too, but it dòesnt seem to be bothering them.
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Been picking around 8 a day from all different varieties. Never seen blackfly go for courgette plants before.
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Nor me Clumsy, last year I grew close to 100kg, made all my chutney lines that required them and supplied the surplus to some local greengrocers.
This year I've had to order-in from the wholesale market
I've always been very unsympathetic with people whinging about black-fly. This year I can empathise!
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I hope that the little blighters do not develop a taste for courgette plants.
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I amongst the jungle on top of the heap I grabbed a courgette only to find it was prickly, Ridge cucumbers have now gone mad. Chutneyed a load yesterday with sour green apples and ginger. Suprisingly tasty. No sign of blackfly, but I do go armed with a spray of cherry scented washing up liquid. Why cherry? I cannot stand the smell and neither do the blackfly by the look of my plants.