How to use up a courgette glut

I love courgettes. I think they’re beautiful, especially the stripy variety I’m growing this year, Cocozelle.

However, I have come to the conclusion that growing the exact right number of courgettes (or zucchini, if you’re not in the UK) is one of those things that is completely impossible. Last year, two plants produced fewer courgettes than we wanted, but four the year before produced masses. Every single year is either a glut, or not quite enough. This year, yet again, my theory has been proven!

I began with three plants, two Cocozelle and one Black Beauty (a darker one that I’ve grown lots of times before). They were looking great as seedlings before planting out, then after they went outside they got very sad and small, they almost seemed to have shrunk. So, rather than holding my nerve, I planted two more courgette seeds - I think more cocozelles - directly into the soil. They germinated and grew fast. Great. That is until the original three perked up too, after I gave them some plant food. Now I have five courgette plants, two of which are already producing lots of courgettes and I’m harvesting a few times per week. Imagine how many I’ll have when they are all producing!

Did you know that before the 1960s, here in the UK, courgettes weren’t really a thing. They were harvested only when much bigger, as marrows, and harvesting them as young fruit was seen as a waste of a good marrow.

As well as being exactly the same thing as marrows, courgettes are the same species - Cucurbita pepo - as many other pumpkins and squashes (but not all). Although they don’t look much like each other, they’re actually just different varieties of one plant species. This also means they can interbreed, which can cause issues with seed saving!

Apparently, the benefits of courgettes include promoting healthy digestion, stabilising blood sugar, and supporting both heart, and eye health.

In anticipation of the glut I have on the way, here are some of the ways I’ve previously used up courgette gluts…

Courgettes with pasta - cut courgettes into thin ribbons, fried with cherry tomatoes, garlic, with pesto added at the end if you like, mixed with cooked pasta.

Courgette fritatta - roast chopped courgettes with new potatoes, onion, carrot. Pour over 6 beaten eggs then cook on the stove for 5-10 mins, until the bottom is cooked. Then stick under the grill for another 5 mins to cook the top. I hadn’t had a fritatta for years - I am vegan for environmental reasons, but have recently started eating local eggs so I gave it a try. Absolutely delicious, especially with homemade sourdough!

Courgette omelette - fry thinly sliced courgette for a few minutes before adding three eggs to the pan, making sure they reach the sides of the frying pan. Use a fork at the edges to make sure it doesn’t stick.

Ratatouille - chopped courgettes roasted in the oven with red pepper, onion, maybe aubergine if you have it, with oil and salt. After 20 mins, add some chopped tomatoes and roast for 20 mins more. Great on a jacket potato!

Courgette chocolate cake - this is brilliant as it uses LOADS of courgettes. There’s a BBC food recipe here.

Courgette brownies - as above! I can’t find the vegan recipe I’ve used before, but there’s a BBC food one here that uses eggs.

Courgette chutney - again this uses a lot of courgettes so it’s a great option in a glut, and means you’ll get to enjoy the courgettes later in the year. I think this is the recipe I’ve previously used.

I’m sure there are so many more I could have added! I recently learned you can make courgette flour, so that is something I’m going to investigate.

Please let me know any more ideas for using up courgettes, I’m going to need them!