COURGETTES and squash are versatile crops with simple needs that keep on giving throughout the summer.
Provide them with fertile soil in a sheltered sunny spot and keep them moist, and then get ready to harvest the emerging fruits on a regular basis.
The choice of varieties is huge, with a wide range of colours, shapes, textures and uses to consider. Plants can be bushy or sprawling, or even upright climbers, which means there’s a cultivar for near enough every garden situation, from allotments to patio pots.
Culinary uses
While courgettes are short-lived summer treats, most squash can be stored for several months. Squash have complex flavours, making them a tasty ingredient in everything from pies to risottos, and they can always be relied on for warming winter soups.
The culinary uses for courgettes are endless: they can be grilled, baked, fried, boiled or stuffed, combined with tomatoes in ratatouille, eaten fresh in salads, pushed through a spiralizer to make ‘courgetti’, made into cakes or muffins and even pickled in brine.
And don’t forget that the male flowers can be dipped in a tempura batter and deep fried or, as Paolo Arrigo of Franchi Seeds of Italy prefers, teamed with a good cheese and added to an omelette.
“Pick them in the morning when they’re open: you will wonder why you haven’t eaten them this way all the time,” he says. “The male flowers are the ones with stalks. Courgette ‘Da Fiore Toscana’ is a great variety for flowers.”
Tender plants
Both courgettes and squash belong to the cucurbita family, members of which are tender and need a frost-free environment. In the UK they belong to the hardiness zone H2.
Bu hikaye Amateur Gardening dergisinin May 13, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Amateur Gardening dergisinin May 13, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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