[mashauk]

Can you freeze cougettes chopped for winter ratatouie?

Yes, or you can make the ratatouille and freeze that.

[mashauk]

I've got about 10 plants which is less than last year, but I've got several different ones (off the top of my head: zucchini, grisette, tromboncini, summer ball and yellow scallop so not all strictly speaking courgettes).

[sunshineband]

How big are the tromboncini?

I had seeds for Christmas from No 1 GD and the plants are very sprawly and one two fruits are cream coloured and curly, bu the other has a bright grren fruit that is a bit like the picture on the packet in shape but skinnier.

[mashauk]

They sprawl like crazy if you let them, I trained one up a frame this year and the other is on my flat roof climbing up a pipe!  They are supposed to climb and I found last year when I let it sprawl over the bed there was tons of courgettes but quite small, they can get quite big, but I found something started eating them so I pick them at about 9" long.  They're very tasty!

[compostqueen]

I roared with laughing when I read 19 courgette plants. Sheesh 

The Glutney Chutney (for the courgette glut) is a Hugh Fearnley-W recipe and it's on the forum, in recipes I expect    It's very tasty indeed

The soups sound fab. Not made a soup yet.  Tsk

[sunshineband]

Thanks Mashauk

I shall pick them next time I go to the plot and try them. If they get to the wire fence (just another few feet to go  ) I shall let them climb up it.

[DD.]

The Glutney Chutney (for the courgette glut) is a Hugh Fearnley-W recipe and it's on the forum, in recipes I expect    It's very tasty indeed

I don't think it is CQ, as it's a River Cottage thing and will no doubt be copyright, but here's the link:

http://www.rivercottage.net/SeasonalRecipes~August/122/Glutney.aspx

I make some at least 4 years ago from the recipe when it was printed in Garden News. When I say "some", we're still eating it!

[Comfortably Numb]

I'm growing "Seeds of Italy" Romanesco this year for the first time. Very vigorous plants and most of the courgettes point straight up making them easy and clean to pick  Loads of seeds in the packet as well 
I also have one plant of All Green Bush which looks a bit weedy in comparison.

[needssomehelp]

glad i gave you all a giggle  with my 19 plants lol
i just cant bring myself to pull any out, people gave me these when i first took my plot on, and i would feel bad chucking them on the heap.
i havent got the whole plot planted so i dont need the room this year, so ill just live on courgettes, and so will everyone around me 

[compostqueen]

The Romanesco is lovely. It's the same as Striato d Italia (for some reason)

Your 19 plants will yield plenty for church fetes and the like. 

I'm taking my spares to the local Weight Watchers class.  Sshhhhhhhhhhh. They don't know I'm coming 

That Glutney Chutney recipe is on here DD

[Maccbean]

Ha ha, your 19 courgettes definitely cancel out my 20 tomatoes!

I'm just starting up a farmers market in Macclesfield, perhaps you'd like to start making a lot of courgette based recipes and take a stall? 

[seanandde]

Uh-oh.  I've never grown veg before and just bought/planted ten that were being sold off cheap in our local nursery.  They each have a few 3"'ish long courgettes on them already... but can someone please explain, in idiot proof terms, how the plants fruit?  All the girl in the nursery could tell me was "some of the flowers turn into fruit and some don't".  Mine have loads more flowers than fruit currently.

I was horrified see they'd already grown a fair bit by lunchtime this morning - I only planted them Sunday night!

[JayG]

The flowers look similar at first glance, but if you look behind the petals you will see either a thin stem (male flower) or a much thicker embryo courgette (female flower.)

You need both at the same time for fertilisation to happen (although not necessarily on the same plant if you've got more than one.)

If the baby courgette rots off after the withered flower has dropped off it probably failed to get pollinated; gentle transferring of pollen from male to female flowers (when open!) using an artist's paintbrush will help prevent that happening!

[DD.]

Here's the piccie I usually trot out when the question arises..........

[seanandde]

Thanks so much to both of you - that explains it very clearly!  The girl in the nursery obviously didn't fancy giving me a sex lesson on pumpkin plants.

I'm off outside to look at my flowers with a slightly more experienced eye