What did change was a determination to find recipes that fit the ingredients in the garden
I cooked these courgette and scallopini in a herbed mustard vinaigrette. I just put the lid on top and baked them in the oven. The reason I called this recipe 'curcubit surprise' is that I had no idea I was growing scallopini, let alone white ones. I was checking on my mad pumpkin patch when I realised that the group of baby pumpkins were in fact scallopini. Alas, because they had reached a very large size I think that the plant has produced only one crop and then died. Still, it was good for a few days of odd shaped vegetables. I think I also prefer the American name for scallopini - patty pan squash.
Last summer I had two courgette plants and was annoyed that I had no glut of courgettes. I thought that the plants were slightly unproductive due to being grown in containers. This year I have five courgette plants, two green and three yellow. They came from a mixed pack. The yellow courgettes seem to grow more slowly than the green ones, and produce nowhere near as much. Still no glut. I can't work out though if we just eat a lot of courgettes? Since our stand by meal option is usually some kind of stir fry, we can easily grow through two or three in each stir fry, a few times a week. I was really hoping to freeze a lot for winter, and to have so many that I would be forced to make things like chocolate zucchini cake or beg friends to take them off our hands.
Another curcubit in the mixture above is crookneck squash. I planted many of these seeds and got two small plants. Mine didn't get very big, and I only got maybe ten off both plants. If they get very big they turn into squash with a hard, warty skin. You then have to bake them, as the skin isn't soft enough to eat. Only one of mine made it to this size, mainly because I gave up hope that the plant would produce anything. I can't work out if they were just in a bad location, or if they just aren't big producers. I'll give them another year!
I have learnt a good lesson - one which I suspect most gardeners know through common sense. Don't through the potting mix from your non-germinated pumpkin seed wantonly through the garden. As of this evening it appears that I will have thirteen pumpkins. I only deliberately planted three plants, four have just sprung up and one I swear was supposed to be a cucumber plant is actually a buttercup pumpkin plant. Sigh. Still, the pansies that grew from the same method are very cheerful.
I did later find the cucumber plant - I planted it in the communal vegetable garden I share with my neighbours. I nearly cried I was so thrilled to see a cucumber and not another blinking pumpkin. It was delicious. The second one is on my kitchen bench, and I will probably eat it this evening rather than subjecting it to refrigeration.
Last summer I went crazy with peas: snow peas, sno peas, capucijner peas and garden peas. This year belonged to the curcubit. I think next summer will be beans.
Another curcubit in the mixture above is crookneck squash. I planted many of these seeds and got two small plants. Mine didn't get very big, and I only got maybe ten off both plants. If they get very big they turn into squash with a hard, warty skin. You then have to bake them, as the skin isn't soft enough to eat. Only one of mine made it to this size, mainly because I gave up hope that the plant would produce anything. I can't work out if they were just in a bad location, or if they just aren't big producers. I'll give them another year!
I have learnt a good lesson - one which I suspect most gardeners know through common sense. Don't through the potting mix from your non-germinated pumpkin seed wantonly through the garden. As of this evening it appears that I will have thirteen pumpkins. I only deliberately planted three plants, four have just sprung up and one I swear was supposed to be a cucumber plant is actually a buttercup pumpkin plant. Sigh. Still, the pansies that grew from the same method are very cheerful.
I did later find the cucumber plant - I planted it in the communal vegetable garden I share with my neighbours. I nearly cried I was so thrilled to see a cucumber and not another blinking pumpkin. It was delicious. The second one is on my kitchen bench, and I will probably eat it this evening rather than subjecting it to refrigeration.
Last summer I went crazy with peas: snow peas, sno peas, capucijner peas and garden peas. This year belonged to the curcubit. I think next summer will be beans.
