| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| snozzer |
Courgettes - A glutAnyone have a suggestion to help me deal with our courgette mountain, preferably some preserving or storage |
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| tahir |
You can pickle em like gherkins, never tried it though | ||||||
| colour it green |
freeze em. half and slice, blanch in boiling water for one minute - drain and pack into boxes - freeze. good for quiches, casseroles chili etc
or make chutney |
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| Helen_A |
Got a dehydrator?
Try the 'wrapper' portion of this http://therawchefblog.com/curried-cabbage-pillows/#more-213 It keeps for absolutely blooming ages *without* needing the fridge/freezer if you dry it 'right' and is still flexible 
Helen_A |
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| marigold |
I'd like to try the Courgette Glutney in this article, but it only uses up 1kg at a time! And I haven't got a preserving pan.... | ||||||
| lottie |
If you grate and freeze in weighed amounts you can use for Zucchini[courgette] bread or cake recipes in the winter. Loads of recipes on the net. | ||||||
| Jonnyboy |
We've just been eating them. Ratatouille, courgette curry, chilli, souffle's. Starting to think we're turning green. | ||||||
| alice |
I slice them and freeze them without blanching - I know it's heresy but I hate all the faff of blanching - rather stick forks in my eyes. Anyway, I then use them in lasagne/bolognese/ratatouille type dishes. I usually forget to defrost them and bung them in the pot in a big frozen lump. Can't say I can tell the difference between frozen and fresh when used this way. I treat celery the same way too. | ||||||
| lottie |
I never blanch courgettes---not practical for ones I've grated anyway---always do plenty as we like courgette and cheese bread to soup in the winter.Actually don't blanch lots of stuff I used to and it's fine. | ||||||
| colour it green |
courgette bhajis
and courgette frittas |
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| Mrs Fiddlesticks |
soup! | ||||||
| sharonb |
I made a preserving pan full of rattatouille to freeze but as the kids came home with their partners last night they all dipped into it, so there's not much left to freeze. Yet I still can't get them to eat courgette cake! | ||||||
| snozzer |
wow, cheers everyone some great ideas | ||||||
| gnasher |
You can buy courgettes grilled and packed in oil as an antipasti type thing could you do that? | ||||||
| ariana |
ooh I love rattatouille. Hot or cold. Or lukewarm 
Can't you call the courgette cake something else. I'm sure they'd love it. This is the recipe I use. It really is moist and yummy. If you want to be sneaky and disguise the courgette element, you can peel them to avoid the green flecks 
Courgette & Walnut Cake Ingredients 10 oz caster sugar 8fl oz sunflower oil 6 oz Self-raising flour 3 eggs 1 extra tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp mixed spice 8oz peeled and grated courgettes 4oz chopped walnuts Method Set oven to 180ºC Line a 8 or 9 inch cake tin with baking parchment. Place the sugar in a bowl and stir in the oil. Add the eggs and mix. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, and spice into the mixture. Fold in courgettes and walnuts. Bake for 70 - 80 minutes until the top springs back and centre is cooked Sprinkle top with demerara sugar whilst still warm |
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| woodsprite |
I have a confession, I detest courgette cake in all its forms.
I do love courgettes though 
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| yummersetter |
Ok I've got a confession too . . . I've made the worst chocolate courgette cake ever last weekend, I'm having to eat it all myself as no-one else will touch it. I'd put it out for the pigeons but then I'd have to clear up the corpses. But I did alter the ingredients and method a bit drastically, having no cocoa, plain flour or right-sized tins in the house, the top inch is tasty but on a base of veggy stodge. I was thinking of making it again, with correct ingredients, this weekend as no-one's picked any courgettes this week and there'll be a suitcase full - but I may have problems restoring household confidence in my baking skills. | ||||||
| Bebo |
My OH hates courgettes, but he's just had a slice of courgette cake and liked it. It was a sandwich type cake with lime curd in the middle. At last a use for courgettes that he'll eat other than chutney! | ||||||
| Helen_A |
I don't tell them that there are courgettes in the cake, usually the addition of some sort of lime zest is enough for them to assume that all the green bits are that  . Using banana instead of egg can be quite a good way of making them less obvious, as can cinnamon.
Helen_A |
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| lottie |
T.B.H. although I like various courgette cakes I much prefer them in savoury bread recipes. | ||||||
| Green Rosie |
Just made 2 courgettes loaves - I'll let you know how they taste later There are two courgette quiches in the oven - which had cleared the current glut - BUT I haven't been to the veg patch yet today
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| Tay |
Another vote for courgette soup; make copious amounts and freeze. Then, either eat it as soup, or use it as a nice, light pasta sauce; great for pasta bakes. Blanche, then freeze chunks too for bolognese/goo dishes. | ||||||
| lily |
Courgette wine | ||||||
| gil |
How does that turn out ? What's it like ? Have you got a good recipe you could post ? A wine I've never made, partly because I have such difficulty getting courgettes to grow here. |
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| otatop |
Having taken heed of the warnings about too many courgette plants - and given space space consideration, I have only 3. So, what do I do with the single courgette? Hardly enough to construct a meal for 2 - and certainly not enough to be worth freezing! | ||||||
| ariana |
Although they are best fresh picked they will keep for up to a week in the bottom of the fridge which at this time of year, and given this summer's weather, will give you time to collect a few more to give a decent meal. Or you could just leave it on the plant to get bigger.
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| Green Rosie |
Loaves were a lovely texture but they contained sunflower oil which I found a bit over-powering. What coud I have used instead? Would rapeseed oil work? |
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| lottie |
Yes
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| Andy B |
Just spent some time freezing courgettes, it will be interesting to see what they are like when we cook them. | ||||||
| lottie |
I only freeze them grated to use in baking now as I found them disappointing other ways---unless already in a cooked dish I've frozen, but lots of people do freeze them sliced and like them.
P.S. Think I've mentioned it before but Elaine Borish "What will I do with all those courgettes" is well worth ordering from the library to look at--it's a smashing little paperback chockfull of courgette recipes and ideas. |
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| Green Rosie |
Excellent - and bearing in mind I have a current jam excess I might make another couple of loaves with half jam instead of sugar. |
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| fungi2bwith |
I grow lots of courgettes and my two favourite ways of preserving them are as follows:
1. Finely chop courgettes add to frying pan with olive oil and plenty of garlic. Cook very slowly until very soft (without browning too much). Add a little cream and parmisan. Use as pasta source. For keeping I normally wiz in food processor and freeze in portions. 2. Lightly pickling is great for courgettes. I use this recipe http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/preservedcourgettes_82377.shtml . I think pickling often over powers things but these are not that vinigery. They are supposed to taste better after storage for some time. I have eaten them up to 18 months after bottling. If you use a mixture of geen and yellow courgettes they look quite pretty on the plate as well as teasting good. |
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| Jonnyboy |
We've been doing this one a lot, although I don't finely chop the courgettes. Loads of garlic is indeed a must. It has the great advantage of using up 3 or 4 large courgettes in one go, especially if you cook it down well. Think the recipe came from RCCB. |
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| wellington womble |
Probably common, but we just had courgette fritatta (courgettes, garlic and onion fried, beaten eggs and lots of herbs cooked over a low heat and grilled to finish off the top) which was very nice. I also stuffed a courgette in a chilli yesterday (ran it through the mincer to get the last of the meat out) and one of my favourite things is courgette and goats cheese souffle, which freezes well (and uses up eggs) courgette pasta is very good with goats cheese (or brie) and basil (or thyme) for variation.
I haven't had a courgette glut - we've had a steady two or three a week, which is just abour right, so far anyway - they are rather late. |
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| tiggy |
not many here and blossom end rot, is that all the rain? |