Courgette shortage

courgettes are very easy to grow - perhaps plant a few seeds and watch the plants take over the garden - you can feed them, they stay the same after midnight...
If they get away from you and you find marrows they are still perfectly edible, just harder to pick up - they hide under the leaves and get to 5 or 6 lb quite easily.

 

We used to grow courgettes, love them, but couldn't keep up with them! Even with just a couple of plants. Our neighbours soon started refusing yet another freebee. Unfortunately, at this time of year they don't grow here, so we have to rely on the supermarkets.

 

i love home-grown courgettes. When they get big they are perfect for stuffing (more flavour than marrow), when they are tiny I deep fry them whole or eat then raw and middle size ines are great for cutting up and frying in butter with garlic or spiralizing for fake spaghetti.

Sadly they are out of season at the moment although there isn't a shortage in Asda.

 

Haven't had any trouble buying them... yet.

I may have to give it another go growing them - first attempt ended up with a load of lovely courgette flowers (they tasted good though! This was in the days days before diabetes struck when I could knock up a batter for coating). The local snails ate my second attempt.

 

There is no fresh spinach in Worthing... had to get frozen..

Time to go zero carb

 

The ants used to run around and fertilise the flowers - there are both male and female ones on the plants - unfortunately my garden is now an ant free zone, don't know why as I liked seeing them around and it is a totally organic area. They are so small and so busy, and if given a grain of sugar they are totally thrilled and run away home to show off their treasure.
I am sure that other insects can do the job, but you can ensure a crop by hand pollinating.

 

Yes, spinach shortage here in near Doncaster, too.

 

I'm in Spain at the moment. No shortage of courgettes here. I suspect someone is trying to up the profit...

 

Hello. I couldn't get any courgettes in morrisons Scarborough. When I asked, the young man told me that there was a problem in Spain and they were only getting a few in. They had gone.

 

Relax everyone. No need to panic. I mean, it isn't as if we are running low on... cauliflower!!!!

 

Don't like courgette anyway, it's completely flavourless as is aubergine!

 

Put out a small saucer or tub lid of beer for the snails-they crawl into it and drink themselves to death. They don't have livers.

Also, here in SW USA we have plenty of zucchini (couregette)-from Mexico and other regions south. I will plant more here in the Spring but the rabbits, opossum and deer got most of mine this year. We have a new garden fence to try out this Spring.
I bought a lettuce from Lovera's (local family owned Italian grocery store) with the roots still attached, still growing in the hydroponic display this weekend. Very tender leaves and great taste.
also great imported olives-the best of both worlds-local fresh produce and the best in the world olives.

 

O

oh no! Should've gone to Lidl )

 

I tried the beer traps - every morning they would be full of slugs and snails - but there were several more sampling my courgette plants. It was an exceptionally bad spring snail and slug wise.

 

Hand pick the ones on the plants and eventually you will reduce their numbers, I would use gloves because they are slimy-also putting cornmeal around the ground at the base of the plants is reported to irritate them-I have not tried it.

 

There were shed load of Zucchini in the supermarkets here last week, the Brits have signed a trade deal post Brexit.

Ask for some of them to be added to list with Spud Lite's.

 

The courgette scarcity is caused by poor weather in Spain and Italy.