What would you do with lots of courgette, if you weren't particularly keen on courget

[mrs quoad]

te?

a) give it away. I'm working on this, but we have L.O.T.S. of courgette
b) halp?

I've got no f***ing idea why half our (small) veg patch is dedicated to courgettes, as Artichoke *quite* likes them, and I'm massively apathetic about them. Ratatouille has always kinda struck me as the vanilla standard of the veg-dish world. And consequently leaves me kinda cold.

Our neighbours don't want any more courgettes, I've farmed a couple out to friends, but I've just gotten home and discovered this:

I'm in the process of trying to give bits of it away (Artichoke is in France, I've got another 1.5kg bastard jamming up our fridge already) but kinda feel that I should, at least, make some kinda effort.

SO, any suggestions? I'm thinking maybe a courgette crumble, a spiced courgette jam, or a courgette... nope, I'm coming back to crumble

 

[Melinda]

You have nice wrists.

Plus a marrow that size is going to be spongy and tasteless.

So combine it with carrot, apple and cinnamon to make a cake.

Courgette fritters

Roast with lots of tomato and onion - whizz up and make soup/ Italian pizza sauce.

And how often do you go outside? How the fuck did you miss it?!

 

[madzone]

Chutney.

Cake.

Courgette cordial.

One of these may be made up.

 

[nagapie]

Stuff it with things you like.

Risotto. Cheese, rice and wine make anything enjoyable.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

a) Throw it in the bin as they're disgusting
b) Make a nice carving out of it

 

[Fruitloop]

Fritters! Grate the courgette, and fuckloads of dill, mint, coriander and flatleaf parsley (omitting any you don't have/don't like), and a wee bit of gram flour (or ordinary flour I guess) - just enough to make it all hold together, with some water - sparkling water is nice. Try to get the grated courgette dry first. Crumble in rather too much feta, shape into balls and shallow fry.

Nice with yoghurt with a wee bit of salt and crushed garlic in.

 

[geminisnake]

I like courgettes but I suspect the journey north wouldn't be good for it. That one made me think of Capt Caveman for some reason

 

[mr steev]

I'm in exactly the same situation... I've also got the same scales as you, but I won't post a pic cos it will look like boasting

We've been eating them with pasta, in curries, bbq'd and griddled, stuffed with quinoa and fritters like what Fruitloop says. I've also made 15 jars of chutney and am planning to make a chocolate courgette cake at some point.

I'm sadly coming to the conclusion that loads are still going to end up on the compost heap. All the recipes are well and good but they don't actually use up that much (particularly when there the size they are and you have that many to use up). The one in the pic stuffed would be enough to feed 4-6 adults, and you could probably make around 50+ fritters from it!

Plus a marrow that size is going to be spongy and tasteless.

We've also grown some that have a thicker, almost bristly skin (the hairs disappear when cooked) - they taste much better than the smooth varieties (of which we have loads too) and I'm wondering weather they will store better too.

 

[spanglechick]

courgette fudge. blates.

 

[feyr]

once you have run out of recipes, grate the excess and freeze in generous handful sized portions. then add to stews,pasta sauces, lasagne etc at a later date, basically anything where the courgette would naturally mush as the freezing does make them a bit mushy

i tend to sneak courgette and carrot into everything i can get away with such as baked beans, pasta sauces etc, and grated and frozen provides the best covert texture

*fondly remembers the time when getting some of her kids to eat vegetables didnt require underhand tactics *

 

[cesare]

Don't throw gluts of <whatever> on compost heap!!! Give them away!

 

[mr steev]

Don't throw gluts of <whatever> on compost heap!!! Give them away!

I am! But there are only so many that people want

 

[mr steev]

courgette fudge. blates.

Do you mean fudge rather than fudge cake?

 

[mrs quoad]

Fritters, cake, and chutney all sound awesome TY, folks, keep 'em rolling

Do you mean fudge rather than fudge cake?

There is a history with fudge. One of my efforts to make chicken and bacon fudge ended up as a chicken-stock-based jelly recipe instead; which basically turned into catfood. I approve of the fudge idea, but...

 

[ymu]

Put them out front with a note inviting people to help themselves. Got a massive left outside an organic smallholding last year - lasted us months!

They're good for padding out veg curries if you're not mad keen on the flavour. They're just about bland enough not to stand up to the spices too much.

 

[mr steev]

When you make fritters remember to squeeze out as much water as you can before you add the flour etc

 

[cesare]

I am! But there are only so many that people want

I wish there were people with gluts near me Allotment-free area

 

[RubyToogood]

That's not a courgette, it's a courge.

My mother used to make marrow and ginger jam: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/7565/marrow-and-ginger-jam

 

[sheothebudworths]

I might try searching titles for 'courgette'

http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/threads/299714-Courgette-recipes?p=9588052&highlight=courgette#post9588052

http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/threads/229185-courgette-recipes?p=6724534&highlight=courgette#post6724534

http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/threads/215744-Courgette-recipes?p=6258393&highlight=courgette#post6258393

 

[ymu]

That's not a courgette, it's a courge.

My mother used to make marrow and ginger jam: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/7565/marrow-and-ginger-jam

Courge!

Been looking for the right term for the grossly over-grown ones. Can never work out of they are actually marrows - they're a bit different from the things you normally buy as marrows, but maybe that's down to different varieties being grown for early/late picking?

 

[Wilson]

thats a marrow, you can make a wine type thing with it, or compost

with courgettes the trick is to pick them when they are the size of your finger, preferably before, as or only just after theyve dropped the bloom as this really is when theyre at their best, dont wait until theyre the size of the ones in the supermarket

 

[mr steev]

thats a marrow, you can make a wine type thing with it, or compost

Marrows are courgettes that have gone to seed - size isn't necessarily the only factor (although the one in the pic probably has gone to seed)
I researched marrow wine and couldn't find a good thing said about it tbh

Picking really young courgettes depends on the variety too - the thick skinned ones I mentioned earlier (I think they're Italian) are best when they are a bit bigger - before that they are all skin and a bit tough

 

[Wilson]

marrow 'rum'

one ripe marrow
one orange'
demerara sugar
1/2 oz bakers yeast

marrow should be ripe and skin tough and hard. use breadknife to saw stalk end off, scoop out the pith and seeds. Pack the cavity with demerara sugar. Mix yeast with two tablespoons of warm water
and juice from orange'. Pour over sugar in marrow, put top back on and seal with clingfilm round the join. Hang the marrow cut end up in a muslin bag in a warm place. After 3 weeks the liquid may start to show signs of leaking out, when this happens make a hole in the bottom and drain into a demijohn put on a trap and leave to ferment until finished.
The longer you keep this 'rum' the better it will be.

From Home-made Country Wines

 

[Isambard]

Nice wrists!

Poach lightly. Cut lengthways in half. Scoop out inner stuff.
Mix that with tomatoes, onions, rice, mince, cheese etc etc as you wish.
Re-fill cases. Bake.

Bake slices in oven, with olice oil, garlic and almond flakes as an anti pasti.

make kebabs with opnions and peppers and mshrooms and meat.

 

[toggle]

courgette soup.

courgertte onion, a small potato and some veggie stock. simmer, blend, add chopped mint or grated cheese or chilli

 

[RubyToogood]

Courge!

Been looking for the right term for the grossly over-grown ones. Can never work out of they are actually marrows - they're a bit different from the things you normally buy as marrows, but maybe that's down to different varieties being grown for early/late picking?

I was being silly really. Courge is just French for marrow, hence courgette = a small marrow, which is all they are. Possibly you might grow a slightly different variety if you were aiming for marrows rather than courgettes.

I used to grow courgettes and always opted for something a bit different from the bog standard dark green supermarket ones - yellow ones, round ones, pale green ones. The pale green ones are the best by far.

 

[Ceej]

Cut into chips, dip in rice flour batter and deep fry - crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Is there a local refugee/asylum seeker support project? Or homeless project/soup kitchen? Or the Fare Shares cafe?

Give them away instead of composting them. There will be a local project you can donate them to. Or post a message on freegle or freecycle.

 

[Puffer]

Courgette, basil and brie soup, lovely

 

[mr steev]

Is there a local refugee/asylum seeker support project? Or homeless project/soup kitchen? Or the Fare Shares cafe?

Give them away instead of composting them. There will be a local project you can donate them to. Or post a message on freegle or freecycle.

That is probably what I'll do, if after leaving them on the street there are any left