Mini Courgettes

[StanleyGardner]

Recently, supermarkets have been selling super-small, 8 cm long, baby courgettes. Can anyone tell me if these are a particular variety? Or just any variety picked early?

[Hazel at the Hill]

Good afternoon, SG, and welcome to the Vine.

I think that they are normal varieties picked young. Someone once told me that a courgette only has a fixed 'taste' quota, so the bigger the courgette, the more 'dilute' the taste. On that basis, the smaller courgette, the more packed with taste. I'm going to try to pick more at that 'gourmet' stage this year!

[Veggieman]

Yes baby courgettes in the supermarket are the young fruits of any variety. They are definitely my favourite way of eating them and the plants seem to go into production overdrive when you pick them really small.p

[Penellype]

Top restaurants serve them with the flower still open. I find that by the time I get to them the flower has usually closed and become twisted and unattractive looking, so I let them get a bit bigger.

[Sarico]

I always plant more courgette plant then I need. I plant them closer so when they start to get the first fruit and flower I'Ll cut them and eat everything plant included. Delicious.

[SkyChild]

I picked my courgettes at this stage last year and it definitely puts them into production mode - I got loads all Summer!
Super-tasty

[StanleyGardner]

Thanks everyone for your lovely answers.
I'll plant loads of them.
SG

[veggiechicken]

You can never have too many courgettes

[BertieFox]

I can't recall the name just now but there is a variety of yellow Patty Pan squash which forms a bush plant on which are borne loads and loads of tiny round yellow squashes. If you keep picking them very young it goes on producing dozens more. We harvest them at around two inches across and they taste virtually identical to courgettes.