Courgettes: Creative ways to enjoy this summer vegetable - Kem Ormond’s garden

With the right care, courgettes can provide a bountiful harvest.

Kem Ormond is a features writer for NZME community newspapers and The Country. She’s also a keen gardener. This week, she’s mastering creative ways to enjoy courgettes.

OPINION

This year I have planted one courgette plant. This will produce sufficient courgettes for summer salads, or fritters, as that is how I prefer to eat them.

They come in several varieties, including green, yellow, and some even striped.

I usually grow green courgettes called “Black Beauty” but there is also a yellow variety called golden zucchini, and I have seen some cute little pattypan courgettes you can grow as well.

You need space to grow a courgette.

I have often grown mine around the compost pile as they seem to like that spot, but this year I am opting for my raised vegetable garden where I also have sunflowers, potatoes and a few brassicas.

You need space for their large leaves and spreading vines.

When planting make sure you plant your seedlings about 80cm apart, as you don’t want the leaves smothering each other as they are prone to getting mildew.

Soil preparation

Courgettes thrive in rich, well-draining soil with plenty of organic matter and need full sun (at least six to eight hours per day) to produce a good yield of these little gems.

They need consistent moisture, especially during flowering and fruit production and you are better to water at the base of the plant rather on top of the leaves.

I have found that mulching around the base of the plants helps to keep the soil temperature steady.

Courgettes have both male and female flowers on the same plant.

Bees and other pollinators play a vital role in pollination.

If you’re growing them in an area with few pollinators, you may need to hand-pollinate by transferring pollen from male to female flowers using a small paintbrush.

I always make sure I have plenty of bee-loving plants in my vegetable garden such as borage, calendulas, sunflowers, chives and bee balm.

My sage is a huge attraction as well.

Harvesting

Ricotta and parmesan-stuffed courgette flowers. Photo / Babiche Martens

Courgettes are usually ready to harvest in about 50-60 days after sowing.

Pick the fruits when they are young and tender, usually 15-20 cm in length and, in some cases, you will need to harvest daily if you do not want marrows.

To harvest your courgettes, use a sharp knife or pruning shears to cut the courgettes off the plant, leaving a small portion of the stem attached.

It pays to be gentle with them as their skin is quite soft.

When it comes to pests watch out for aphids, slugs, and cucumber beetles which can be troublesome.

It is powdery mildew, that I find can be a nuisance, especially if in a humid area. So, avoid watering late in the evening when water will settle on the leaves.

Using your courgettes

These fritters are pan-fried until golden and finished with a dollop of creme fraiche. Photo / Babiche Martens

Courgettes are best used fresh but they can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.

They are nice browned and added to a roast vegetable salad, but I love making fritters with them.

I grate them and then put them into a clean tea towel and squeeze out the excess liquid.

This is most important, or you will end up with soggy fritters.

I just use a sweetcorn fritter recipe (replacing the sweetcorn for courgette) and add a bit of coriander, mint and a shake of chilli flakes.

I have used them in bread, cakes, pickles, soup and deep-fried courgette flowers.

Courgettes are a fantastic vegetable to grow in your garden or even in pots on a balcony.

You may even have a bit of a waste corner out the back of your section where you can plant one.

I even had one pop-up in my lawn clippings one year and it did well.

With the right care, they can provide a bountiful harvest.