[Zak the Rabbit]

firstly, can someone remind me when garlic will be ready?

and second, ive been given a courgette plant, it looks like its about to flower a big top flower, and has smaller buds lower down. Im guessing that one is female the other male flower. But what am i supposed to do? ive never done courgettes before :?

[WG.]

Firstly, July.  Can't recall which end but early July methinks.

Secondly, male flowers on courgettes are pathetic spindly looking things compared to females.  Utterly useless and can be removed.  [Sits back and awaits comparisons]

[liz from the fizz]

Oh WG what can i say to that. I agree with everything you  said.....

[WG.]

Oh WG what can i say to that. I agree with everything you  said.....

There had to be a first time ...

[shaun]

i just let courgettes do there own thing i never knew they had male and female flowers.

[Zak the Rabbit]

cheers guys,

bit longer to wait for the garlic then, just have to make do with the spring onions for now,

So i leave the big female flower on? looks like it will be quite impressive,

[Annie]

Let the courgette sort itself out,worries about what to do about male/female flowers,which never appear together early on will soon be replaced with the worry of how to cook yet another courgette,followed by temporary amnesia next year when you decide to sow lots yourself etc...  

[WG.]

I said it can be removed, not that it had to be removed      Actually, if you know any chefs, they'll love you if you give them the flowers.  Nice in salads as an edible garnish but only the females are large enough to stuff.   [HONESTLY that's the only meaning I wished to convey, Aunty!!!]

[Annie]

I find males big enough to stuff too!Seriously it`s the best use for otherwise usless flowers and v.nice.

[shaun]

and what would you stuff them with ? dont say stuffing

[Annie]

I use a rice based mixture favouring caremalised onion / pine nuts/rice based mix at the moment though you can use riccotta.Stuffed,dipped in batter and deep fried,ou don`t get much much more seasonal than that!

[shaun]

be a bit fiddly annie i'm sure i would get in a mess trying to stuff a flower.ive seen them deep fried in batter on the tv i think it was that chap from the pot kiln cant think of his name .

[WG.]

Sounds nice Annie - just what we modern men want.  Shaun can stick to his steak/kidney pie in a roll (darn, that sounds good too!)

[Annie]

I`m sure you could make a mess Shaun,funny how some men can fiddle endlessly with machinery unless it`s a washing machine and bunging a desert spoon full of a rice mixture into a flower and deep frying is to difficult.Now a nicely fried rump steak where the fat is cooked to perfection but the meat only gently seared,that my friends is fiddly but oh,so worth it!

[ziggywigs]

Mike Robinson is the guy from the Pot Kiln also seem Jaimie O stuff and deep fry them in a very light batter.

I don't bother removing the males just leave nature to do it's thang.....you can tell the female as they have a little courgette  behind the flower which turns into a courgette.  The males don't have this bulge.

Male and Female Courgette flowers