I lover courgettes, otherwise known as zucchini. Some people say they are wet and tasteless, I think they have a subtle flavour and I really like them, cooked, raw, pickled, any how! For the past couple of summers we have tried to grow them without any success… the plants have grown and flowered but the fruit has been a failure… I’ve had some good advice from a WordPress friend so I shall try again next year.
We’ve started having vegetable boxes, from Riverford Organics, and we had two lovely, dark green courgettes, and I decided to try a different recipe.It was one of those serendipitous things, I was with a friend and she dropped a piece of paper out of a book she had, and as I picked it up to hand it to her I noticed there was a recipe on it for courgette bake; I didn’t look at it properly but just saw it said onions, cheese, breadcrumbs.
I had a little think about this and looked up a couple of recipes and put together some ideas and ended up doing layers of breadcrumbs, lightly fried onions (just so they were pale and soft, and fried in olive oil) grated courgettes and cheese, ending up with breadcrumbs and cheese on top. I cooked it quite slowly in a medium to low oven, and it really was very nice. I had worried that the courgettes might have made it too wet, and it was a little on the damp side so I think another time I would add slightly thicker but not too thick layers of crumbs. It would be nice with some fresh herbs… but for a made-up recipe based on a glimpse of a scrap of paper it was very nice!
Lois Elsden 
We grow Zuccini every year and always have a bumper crop. One year they grew up our cedar bush about eight feet. My wife likes to deep fry ours. She cuts slices like french fries and then dips them in flour. then an egg wash then the bread crumbs and deep fry until golden brown. They are usually served with deep fried chicken fingers. My italian friends eat the flowers of the plant battered and deep fried but I have never thought to try them
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That sounds delicious… have you nay ideas why we don’t have success with ours? The flowers come and the fruit begins but then either drops off, or shoots come out of the fruit… I know that sounds strange but that’s what happens! Do you grow them in the ground or in a green house?
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We have tried two types of seeds and I cant remember there names but the ones with the Italian sounding name was the vine type that grew up the tree. The ones we use now are more of a bush plant. They love lots of water and some fertilzer, but not too much. The real secret though is to wait until the full moon then at midnight dance naked around the garden to some soft romantic music. I swear it works and there is a punch line but not for today.
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OK… I’ll remember when we come to sow the seeds!
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Actually Lois the dancing story is about tomatoes.A few years ago a young single lady moved onto our street and seeing there was a big backyard she decided to start her first garden. She started out growing zuccinis and tomatoes but was having no luck with the tomatoes as they stopped growing and were hard and green while her neighbors were ripe and red. The neighbor told her what to do is to dance naked around the garden at midnight under the full moon. A week later he asked how the tomatoes were doing. Still small and green she replied but the zuccinis are twice as large and are sticking straight up.
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