[jsgreen89]

A week or so ago I noticed the first few courgettes forming behind the flowers, around squash ball sized, so I assumed all was normal. They'd grow out right?

Wrong! I went back to the plot yesterday and to my suprise I found a couple of courgettes the size (and shape!) of small pumpkins. I harvested quite a few (see attached photo), ranging from cricket ball to football in size. The baffling thing is, the seeds came from a guy at work who assured me they came from a a regular courgette/marrow plant that he grew last year.

So why are mine round?? 

[DD.]

Could well have cross pollinated.

Want me to post my piccie again?

[WirralWally]

They are 'regular' courgettes of a round variety.

I grow a mixture of round and long ones.

I published a pic yesterday of my Sunday dinner pickings which included some of my round courgettes.

[Sue33]

wow - they're huge, i have done round courgettes in the past but those look like pumpkins   

[theakston_uk]

I'd agree with Sue33 and say they are pumpkins, have you got a piture of the plant that you got them off? I've attatched a pic of my pupmkin that is growing, looks very similar to what you've harvested

[Paul Plots]

Really interesting, jsgreen89!

The skin pattern of your fruit looks exactly like a typical green courgette. I didn't realise there was a recognised round variety. They should be great for slicing and frying in butter - so much easier to cook and flip over to do both sides rather than all those little tiddly slices from the usual courgette.

It may be a result of a cross pollination but either way - quite an exciting crop! 

[madcat]

I had some round courgettes from a fellow allotment holder last year - all he knew about the variety was that the seeds came from an Italian friend - and they were great.  size of a small melon, I stuffed and baked them and they were lovely.

[arugula]

Could well have cross pollinated.

Want me to post my piccie again?

Yeah, Yeah! That's our fave piccy! 

[digalotty]

[quote  I stuffed and baked them and they were lovely.
[/quote]

what did you stuff em with i want to try them

[gillie]

What brand were the seeds?  I once got a stonking great trailing marrow thing smothering my bush courgettes.  I try not to buy from that source now!

Gillie

[Aunt Sally]

There are found varieties :

'Tondo di Piacenza' is one of them

Many Pictures Here

[madcat]

[quote  I stuffed and baked them and they were lovely.

what did you stuff em with i want to try them
[/quote]

Depends how I was inspired that week and what was in the fridge.  It could have been (pork probably) mince dry fried with onions and then mixed with breadcrumbs and herbs to suit and a little tom puree with an egg to bind .... makes a good tasty stuffing, without taking over the courgette.

Or I might have been in my spinach / chard risotto stuffing phase, when the stuff was taking over and I was using it every which way ...  melt some onion in butter and oil adding crushed garlic when almost done.  fry the risotto rice (arborio or italian long grain - lets not be pretentious here) briefly to cook the starch in the oil and then add the hot stock as you do for risotto.  When almost done, add the briefly cooked (steamed/microwaved/boiled - depends how you usually do it) and chopped spinach/chard (with as much water squeezed out of it as possible) with some more butter and plenty of parmesan to taste (I like lots but have to go easy if my mum is around).  Season and fill the courgette.  Bake gently covered. 

[mumofstig]

or you could try.......fry an onion and garlic, add a few mushrooms and a chopped tomato and cook for a little bit longer. Remove from heat for a while and stir in lots of grated cheese.
Scoop middle from halved courgette and put stuffing into holes. Sprinkle with more chees and bake till soft

[Babstreefern]

You can tell the difference between pumpkins and courgetts.  Pumpkins trail out for quite a distance, whereas courgettes are bushy types plants.  I'm growing both, and my courgettes this year are yellow round ones

[Paul Plots]

It seems the Americans call them Eight-Ball Squash...      a zucchini hybrid info