Too Many Courgettes?
Courgettes are among the most productive crops in the kitchen garden. A few plants can provide a steady harvest for weeks, and during warm weather a small fruit can become an oversized marrow remarkably quickly.
Frequent harvesting keeps the plants productive and provides tender fruits for fresh cooking. When the harvest begins to outpace demand, courgettes can also be grated, roasted, frozen, baked into cakes, cooked into chutneys or transformed into a surprisingly delicate lemon-flavoured jam.
Harvest Courgettes at the Right Stage
Young courgettes generally have the best texture and are the most versatile in the kitchen. Their skins are tender, the seeds are small and the flesh contains less of the spongy centre found in oversized fruits.
Harvesting regularly also encourages the plant to continue producing.
Different sizes suit different purposes:
Small Courgettes
Small, tender fruits are particularly good for:
Grilling or barbecuing.
Quick frying.
Salads and raw vegetable dishes.
Ribbons or thin slices.
Roasting whole or halved.
Stuffing when the flowers remain attached.
Medium Courgettes
Medium-sized fruits are suitable for most everyday recipes, including:
Soups.
Pasta sauces.
Curries.
Tray bakes.
Fritters.
Savoury bakes.
Grating for cakes and breads.
Freezing for later cooking.
Oversized Courgettes
Large courgettes are often called marrows. They remain useful, but their skin may be tough and the centre can contain large, developed seeds.
Peel them if necessary, cut them lengthways and scoop out the seedy centre. The remaining flesh can be used in:
Soups.
Chutneys.
Relishes.
Curries.
Stuffed marrow dishes.
Cakes and breads.
Courgette jam.
Very old fruits with hard, fibrous flesh may no longer be pleasant to eat. Sound unwanted courgettes can be composted rather than left to deteriorate in the kitchen.
Store Fresh Courgettes Carefully
Courgettes are more delicate than their firm appearance suggests. Their skins bruise and scratch easily, and damaged areas deteriorate more quickly.
Do not wash courgettes before short-term storage unless necessary. Brush away loose soil and keep the fruits dry and cool. Wash them under clean running water immediately before preparation.
Use scratched, split or slightly damaged fruits first. Discard courgettes showing extensive mould, soft decay or an unpleasant smell.
Fresh courgettes are best used while their skin remains firm and their flesh crisp.
Use Courgettes as a Main Ingredient
Courgettes have a mild flavour, which allows them to work with many herbs, spices and other vegetables.
They can be:
Grilled with herbs and a little oil.
Roasted with tomatoes, onions, peppers or aubergines.
Added to curries and stews.
Layered into vegetable bakes.
Hollowed and stuffed.
Spiralised or cut into ribbons.
Fried in a light batter.
Cooked into soups.
Grated into fritters.
Mixed into savoury muffins or breads.
Because courgettes contain a great deal of water, the cooking method has a strong effect on the finished texture.
High heat, a broad pan and sufficient space allow moisture to escape. Crowding sliced courgettes into a small pan tends to steam them and can produce a soft, watery result.
Roast a Mixed Courgette Harvest
Roasting is a simple way to use several courgettes at once.
Cut the fruits into evenly sized pieces. Combine them with onion, garlic, tomatoes, peppers or aubergines if available. Add a small amount of oil and season lightly.
Spread the vegetables across a shallow tray rather than piling them into a deep dish. Roast until the courgettes are tender and the edges have begun to colour.
The roasted vegetables can be:
Served as a side dish.
Mixed with pasta or grains.
Added to a warm salad.
Blended into soup.
Folded into eggs.
Used as a filling for savoury pastries.
Cooled and frozen.
Salt can draw moisture from courgettes, so salting heavily before roasting may make a crowded tray even wetter. Season lightly at first and adjust before serving.
Make Courgette Fritters
Fritters are especially useful for medium and larger courgettes.
Grate the courgette, add a small amount of salt and leave it briefly to release moisture. Squeeze the grated flesh thoroughly in a clean cloth or with your hands.
Mix it with beaten egg and enough flour or another suitable binder to hold the mixture together. Add herbs, pepper, grated cheese, onion, garlic or spices according to taste.
Cook small spoonfuls in a lightly oiled frying pan until browned on both sides and cooked through.
Removing as much liquid as possible is the key to a fritter that holds together and browns properly.
Add Courgettes to Sauces and Soups
Grated courgette can be stirred into tomato sauce, curry, chilli, soup or stew. It softens during cooking and can add body without dominating the flavour.
Diced courgette works well in vegetable soups, but it cooks quickly. Add it later than firm roots if distinct pieces are wanted.
For a smooth soup, cook courgettes with onion, garlic and a small quantity of potato, beans or another ingredient that provides body. Blend when tender, then add herbs and final seasoning.
Large courgettes can release considerable liquid. Begin with less stock than seems necessary and add more after blending if required.
Bake with Grated Courgette
Courgette adds moisture to cakes, muffins and quick breads without giving them a strong vegetable flavour.
Young fruits can usually be grated with their skins intact. Peel large fruits and remove their mature seeds first.
Recipes differ over whether the grated courgette should be squeezed. Follow the individual baking recipe: some depend on the vegetable’s moisture, while others require it to be removed.
Grated courgette combines particularly well with:
Lemon.
Orange.
Chocolate or cocoa.
Cinnamon.
Ginger.
Vanilla.
Walnuts or hazelnuts.
Dried fruit.
Baking can use a worthwhile quantity, but it should be one part of a wider plan rather than the only answer to a prolonged glut.
Freeze Grated Courgette
Freezing is one of the easiest ways to save courgettes for soups, sauces and baking.
Wash the fruit, remove the ends and grate it. Peel large fruits and scoop out developed seeds before grating.
Divide the grated courgette into measured portions based on the recipes you normally use. Pack into suitable freezer containers or bags, remove excess air, label and freeze.
Courgette releases water as it thaws. This is normal. Depending on the intended recipe, the liquid can be drained away or included.
Label each package with both the weight and intended use. “500 g courgette for soup” is more useful than an unidentified frozen bag.
Freeze Cooked Courgette Dishes
Courgettes become softer after freezing, so cooked dishes often freeze more successfully than plain slices.
Suitable options include:
Courgette and tomato sauce.
Vegetable soup.
Curry.
Ratatouille-style stew.
Roasted vegetable mixtures.
Stuffed courgettes without delicate toppings.
Courgette fritters.
Cool cooked food promptly and freeze it in meal-sized portions.
Dishes containing a large amount of dairy may separate during thawing. Where practical, add cream or soft cheese after reheating.
Further guidance on freezing vegetables can be found in the Harvesting & Storage section.
Make Lemon Courgette Jam
Courgette jam is an unusual but practical way to use larger fruits. Courgette has a mild flavour, while lemon supplies most of the character.
This version is intended as a refrigerator or freezer jam. It should not be treated as shelf-stable unless it is processed using a scientifically tested canning recipe.
Ingredients
1.5 kg prepared courgette
1 kg granulated sugar
2 large unwaxed lemons
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger, optional
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
The prepared weight refers to courgette after the ends, tough skin and mature seeds have been removed.
Prepare the Courgettes
Wash the courgettes and remove the ends.
Small and medium fruits can be grated with their skins intact. Peel oversized fruits, cut them lengthways and scoop out the seeds and soft centre.
Weigh 1.5 kg of the prepared flesh, then grate it coarsely.
Prepare the Lemons
Wash and dry the lemons.
Finely grate the coloured outer zest, avoiding as much of the bitter white pith as possible. Squeeze the juice and remove the seeds.
For a stronger citrus texture, some of the lemon peel can be cut into very fine strips instead of being grated.
Combine the Ingredients
Place the grated courgette, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice in a large, heavy-based preserving pan.
Add the ginger if using.
Stir well and leave the mixture for approximately 30 minutes. The sugar will begin drawing liquid from the courgette.
Cook the Jam
Heat the mixture gently, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Once no sugar crystals remain, bring it to a steady boil. Cook uncovered, stirring regularly, until the courgette becomes translucent and the mixture thickens. This will commonly take about 40–60 minutes, although the exact time depends on the width of the pan and the amount of water in the courgettes.
Stir more frequently as the jam thickens to prevent it catching on the bottom.
The finished preserve should be glossy and thick enough to mound slightly on a cold plate rather than immediately running like syrup. Courgette jam may remain softer than a conventional high-pectin fruit jam.
Remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla, if using.
Blend or Leave Textured
For a smooth preserve, blend the cooked mixture carefully before the final few minutes of cooking.
For a more traditional texture, leave the grated pieces visible.
If blending hot jam, take great care to avoid splashes and do not overfill a blender.
Pack and Store
Spoon the hot jam into clean, heat-safe jars, leaving enough room for expansion if it will be frozen.
Allow it to cool, cover and refrigerate. Use clean utensils whenever serving it.
For longer storage, freeze it in suitable freezer containers. Do not fill rigid containers to the top because the contents will expand.
This recipe has not been presented as a tested shelf-stable canning formula. Refrigeration or freezing is therefore the appropriate storage method.
How to Use Courgette Jam
Lemon courgette jam can be served:
On toast, scones or bread.
With plain yoghurt.
In porridge.
Between cake layers.
As a glaze for suitable baked goods.
With mild cheeses.
Stirred into desserts.
The flavour can be varied with ginger or vanilla, but lemon should remain the main flavouring.
Make Courgette Chutney
Courgettes combine well with onions, apples, tomatoes, peppers and spices in chutney. Large fruits are particularly useful because their mild flesh absorbs the surrounding flavours.
Chutney intended for room-temperature storage must be made from a tested recipe. Do not reduce the vinegar, increase the proportion of courgette or shorten the stated processing time.
An ordinary cooked mixture placed into hot jars is not automatically safe for shelf storage, even if the lids appear to seal.
Further guidance is included in Seasonal Chutneys, Relishes and Pickles.
Use Courgettes in Relishes and Pickles
Young, firm courgettes can be used in tested pickle and relish recipes. Their mild flavour works with mustard seed, dill, garlic, chilli and other spices.
Courgettes soften more readily than cucumbers, so very large or spongy fruits are less suitable for crisp pickles.
As with chutney, acidity and ingredient proportions affect safety. Follow a tested recipe when the jars will be stored at room temperature.
Use the Edible Flowers
Courgette flowers are also edible.
Male flowers grow on long, thin stems and do not carry a developing fruit behind them. Female flowers are attached to young courgettes.
Harvest clean, freshly opened flowers and check them carefully for insects. Remove the central reproductive parts if preferred.
The flowers can be:
Stuffed.
Battered and fried.
Torn over salads.
Added to soups.
Used as a garnish.
Cooked with eggs.
Do not remove too many female flowers if continued fruit production is wanted. Retaining enough male flowers also helps maintain a supply of pollen.
Plan for the Next Glut
A courgette plant can produce much more than expected under favourable conditions. Keeping a harvest record helps show whether the number of plants matches the household’s needs.
Your Growing Companion can be used to record harvest quantities and compare the performance of different varieties or growing spaces.
At the end of the season, consider:
How many plants produced more than could be used.
Whether the fruits were harvested frequently enough.
Which recipes were actually enjoyed.
How much frozen courgette remained.
Whether more produce could have been shared while fresh.
Whether fewer plants or staggered sowings would provide a steadier harvest.
One or two healthy plants may be enough for a small household, while larger families or anyone preserving regularly may make good use of more.
Keep the Harvest Manageable
A courgette glut is easiest to handle through several small actions rather than one large preserving session.
Harvest regularly. Eat the smallest fruits fresh. Roast mixed sizes. Grate medium fruits for fritters and baking. Prepare oversized courgettes for soups, chutneys or jam. Freeze measured portions that already have a planned use.
When every saved portion has a purpose, a generous courgette harvest becomes a useful supply of ingredients rather than a collection of forgotten vegetables.
