Courgette Quandry...

[Slug]

My courgettes are coming along nicely. I have little baby courgettes (first ones) that are about 3 inches long and swelling quite quickly.

My Quandry is that I'm going away on Friday and I can just imagine that they'll be ready to pick until the weekend. If I were to leave them until I get back (Thursday next week), will I end up with Marrows?

I've not grown the courgettes before and I don't know how quickly they turn. If necessary I'll have to give them to my neighbours & people at work before I go away, but they're my FIRST courgettes and I'd like to eat them myself!!!

[bramble]

Sorry I can't help slug as i've never grown corgettes, but enjoy your bank holiday weekend.

[Slug]

Thanks Bramble - have a good bank holiday yourself....!

[25cowlane]

I would say if you leave them you'll be in for marrowesque courgettes. Its our first year of growing them but I swear you could watch them grow! You can harvest everything one day and have more the next!

If you dont want very large I would harvest late Thursday and hope

[Earthbabe]

Hi

Courgettes can expand really quickly so I'd agree with that. They should keep ok in the fridge while you are away and are great at that size fried with a little butter, black pepper and garlic. Usually with courgettes the more you pick the more you get so I shouldn't worry. At least, that's how it has worked for me the last two seasons. I also quite like them raw at that size.

Enjoy your break.

[xspye]

I would agree with earth babe, definatly pick them now!!! This year they seem to be growing stupidly, to be honest if they are anything like mine by friday they will be huge anyway

[Slug]

Cool... that's great advice guys - thanks! I'll give some of them until tomorrow night, maybe have some baby courgettes with dinner.... then Thursday night the rest will 'get the chop' and stay in the fridge until we return.

They really are quite exciting veg to watch (OK.... so maybe I'm a little odd), but I think it's great the way you can literally record their progress day by day. One day I had little swellings, then 2 days later I had very noticable baby courgettes!

Looking forward to the first harvest....!

[SueA]

Slug they really would probably be enormous by the time you got back. I just found one that I must have missed picking last week as it was growing down the back of the plant hiding at the back of the tub & it is like a Zeppelin airship! Still it's going in a pasta sauce tonight anyway. Enjoy your baby ones & have a good break.

[urban-gardener]

I went away for a long weekend, left on Thursday night and came back monday night and after picking all the courgettes last week I had some marrows the size of my leg when I got back.

Pick now!!!

[dexterdoglancashire]

Hi everyone! just had to share this with you! just picked my very first courgette! am going to do a hugh f-w from river cottage and have a courgette omelette for tea! yum yum! happy days dexterdog

[smallblueplanet]

Its really good to see all the happiness and glee over folks 1st courgettes - just you wait til they get going! You'll be begging the neighbours to take some off you!!! They'll tape up their letterboxes!

[Squirrel]

Made that courgette soup that was on one of the threads - was really good! Want to make the courgette chocolate cake next! Only one plant so it has been a bit slow to start - no doubt it will catch up!

[dexterdoglancashire]

Update! That was the best omelette I've ever tasted! It's watching Hugh F-W at River Cottage that really got me into growing my own veg - and inparticular the courgette omelette! dexterdog

[JennieAtkinson]

Are you back yet SluG? Did you get marrows? Just got back from my hols and VERY disappointed to find very few courgettes growing at all. Lots of leaves - had to fight my way into the polytunnel, but hardly any courgettes. Just about managed enough to make a courgette souffle last night (yes River Cottage recipe) which was very nice.

[Slug]

Hi Jennie,

I am not going away until Friday this week, so I'm planning my courgette harvest for Weds and Thurs evening. I'm back next week, and I'm soooo glad I posted this query now as I can't imagine what I'd have come back to!! From the sounds of it, I'd have had about 8 Zeppelin airships to greet me!!

I'm very excited to think that I'll have a surplus on my hands! I've always got plenty of recipients for the veg (last year I was giving away runner beans by the bucket load!!). I also fancy making some courgette cake.....!!