If you grow your own courgettes (or Zucchini, if you're so inclined), you'll probably be well into the annual excess of edibles - I know I am!
This year I've been growing an obscene amount of squashes, though I've never thought of it as a 'glut' (Mikeyfox has a theory that vegetarians don't get gluts of home grown veg. I just assumed we were greedy). The picture above is some pickings from the garden; the yellow round Summer Ball (possibly the bestest courgette I've ever grown! It's a fairly compact variety, needing about a square meter of space, but produces staggering quantities of beautiful round fruits that can not only be picked when apple-sized onwards, but can be left to mature into pumpkins. How cool is that?!), green round Tonda Chiaro di Nizza (fancy name, but needs more space to ramble around, and doesn't have the insanely high yields of the Summer Ball), long yellow Atena Polka (a Polish variety, good yield on a fairly compact plant. A real favourite, plush yellow courgettes are much easier to find amongst all those green leaves!*). The big fellow in the middle is a Black Beauty from my Ma-in-Law (because I can't say no to free veg!)
So I'm hoping to post a bunch of courgette recipes for folks out there with more courgettes than they know what to do with.
I'll start you off with something quick & simple, a courgette & lettuce salad.
If you grow your own courgettes (or Zucchini, if you're so inclined), you'll probably be well into the annual excess of edibles - I know I am!
This year I've been growing an obscene amount of squashes, though I've never thought of it as a 'glut' (Mikeyfox has a theory that vegetarians don't get gluts of home grown veg. I just assumed we were greedy). The picture above is some pickings from the garden; the yellow round Summer Ball (possibly the bestest courgette I've ever grown! It's a fairly compact variety, needing about a square meter of space, but produces staggering quantities of beautiful round fruits that can not only be picked when apple-sized onwards, but can be left to mature into pumpkins. How cool is that?!), green round Tonda Chiaro di Nizza (fancy name, but needs more space to ramble around, and doesn't have the insanely high yields of the Summer Ball), long yellow Atena Polka (a Polish variety, good yield on a fairly compact plant. A real favourite, plush yellow courgettes are much easier to find amongst all those green leaves!*). The big fellow in the middle is a Black Beauty from my Ma-in-Law (because I can't say no to free veg!)
So I'm hoping to post a bunch of courgette recipes for folks out there with more courgettes than they know what to do with.
I'll start you off with something quick & simple, a courgette & lettuce salad.
I'm afraid it's not really a recipe. Just thinly slice courgettes (I use a speed peeler - those Y-shaped things, though a knife will do the job) toss the slices with salad leaves & whatever else you have lying around (I went for young french beans & a drizzle of mustardy salad dressing, but thinly sliced or grated carrot or beetroot is delicious, or cucumber, or radishes). Yum!
*If, like me, you tend to stumble across zeppelin-sized specimens lurking under the lower leaves. I'm afraid it's not really a recipe. Just thinly slice courgettes (I use a speed peeler - those Y-shaped things, though a knife will do the job) toss the slices with salad leaves & whatever else you have lying around (I went for young french beans & a drizzle of mustardy salad dressing, but thinly sliced or grated carrot or beetroot is delicious, or cucumber, or radishes). Yum!
*If, like me, you tend to stumble across zeppelin-sized specimens lurking under the lower leaves.
This year I've been growing an obscene amount of squashes, though I've never thought of it as a 'glut' (Mikeyfox has a theory that vegetarians don't get gluts of home grown veg. I just assumed we were greedy). The picture above is some pickings from the garden; the yellow round Summer Ball (possibly the bestest courgette I've ever grown! It's a fairly compact variety, needing about a square meter of space, but produces staggering quantities of beautiful round fruits that can not only be picked when apple-sized onwards, but can be left to mature into pumpkins. How cool is that?!), green round Tonda Chiaro di Nizza (fancy name, but needs more space to ramble around, and doesn't have the insanely high yields of the Summer Ball), long yellow Atena Polka (a Polish variety, good yield on a fairly compact plant. A real favourite, plush yellow courgettes are much easier to find amongst all those green leaves!*). The big fellow in the middle is a Black Beauty from my Ma-in-Law (because I can't say no to free veg!)
3 comments:
It is a semi-joke in parts of this country that during the season that courgettes/zuchinnis mature car doors and garages must be locked or unscrupulous neighbors will share their bounty with you. And never accept dinner invitations lest you be served a courgette the size of a canoue. What people really need is just more recipies. Just this evening I heard that zuchinni bread is much better if that instead of nuts, chocolate chips are added.
That sounds like the most delicious thing ever! I love the idea of sweet vegetable bakes, but never follow through and make anything. I've got a lovely beetroot chocolate brownie recipe, but whenever I roast beets for it (or anything else that requires roasted beets), I end up just eating them out of the pan.
The shaaaame!
oooooooooooh I love beets! Most people think they are nasty but I love them! And their happy redness no matter what happens to them.hmmmmmm Pickling can sometimes ruin them but I love them boiled with a little bit of butter! mmmmmmmmm hungry!
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