Green fingers

By panda_eyed
No, I haven't had an accident with the paint, I'm refering to my first venture into growing edible things in the garden. Back in April, I bought some little seeds on a whim. I planted them into some small pots, added water and some love, and watched as they grew into seedlings. In May, I planted these in the garden, and they grew into humungous proportions. Look!



Those big yellow flowers are courgette flowers. Apparently, they are a delicacy in some circles, but I've never tried them. See the little courgettes on the plant?? That's me holding my biggest and most beautiful specimen. I'm like a proud mother! I'm looking forward to my bumper crop at the end of the month.

Some of the courgettes start to wither before they grow to a good size, but that's not terrible, as baby courgettes are just as yummy! I also planted some strawberry roots, but they didn't even peep through the soil. Ah well, maybe next year!

Not bad for my first attempt at growing things, huh?
 

10 comments so far.

  1. Olivia 8:43 pm, August 15, 2006
    Those are good looking courgettes, missy.
    If you let one grow into a marrow, you could stuff it.

    I ate courgette flowers in a pasta with saffron in Italy last month. What a unique flavour...

    In the bottom pic you look like you want to join the Ground Force with Alan Titchmarsh - but much better looking than Charley Dimmock for sure!!!
  2. Anonymous 9:03 pm, August 15, 2006
    You're not going to eat those all by yourself, are you?

    are you?
  3. Anonymous 4:08 am, August 16, 2006
    Woo hoo Panda!! Looks like you may be the next Nikki ;o)
    Good job girlie!!
  4. panda_eyed 10:40 am, August 16, 2006
    Liv, they are aren't they? :D Mmm stuffed marrow - I'll try that!
    I've always wanted to try courgette flowers. I wouldn't know how to cook my own though.
    Lol, I could so be in ground force if I wanted to. WITH a bra of course :)

    Boso, of course I am! ;) There's 4 mouths to feed over here, but I'm sure we'll be tired of them soon, especially when the novelty wears off.

    Thanks Youngmummy. There's only one Nikki though! Still, I am rather proud! :D
  5. Anonymous 1:27 pm, August 16, 2006
    round to yours for dinner then.. hurrah. x
  6. Olivia 4:13 pm, August 16, 2006
    hm....not sure how involved in the flowers you want to get, but start off easy with this zucchini flower salad:

    12 squash blossoms, cleaned (zucchini flowers)
    3 tomatoes, sliced into wedges
    100g Stilton cheese, crumbled
    1 pear, cored and thinly sliced
    2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

    4 servings
    15 minutes 10 mins prep

    *********
    There are others I saw that had the flowers lightly battered and fried, seasoned and sauteed, or even stuffed but that's really hard.

    How about this one? Looks yummy.

    Zucchini Flower Sauce for Pasta:
    Pick 4-5cm long zucchinis with flowers intact. (Choose the girl flowers – they are the softer ones without the long stem on the back) Slice lengthwise. Pan fry for 1 minute in olive oil and garlic. Toss through pasta with lots of grated parmesan cheese.

    Gosh, where can I find courgette flowers???
  7. Anonymous 5:03 pm, August 16, 2006
    I am so impressed. Puts my anaemic looking spring onions on my balcony to shame. Deary me.
  8. panda_eyed 5:05 pm, August 16, 2006
    Mmm! Thanks Arty, I might give that a go. I'll let you know how it turns out!
  9. panda_eyed 5:09 pm, August 16, 2006
    Yay Sunny, I'll cook, if you bring me some chocolate - mmm, I have huge cravings right now!

    Hi Betty, they're great aren't they? *beams from ear-to-ear* :D
  10. Anonymous 8:41 pm, August 16, 2006
    Well done! One of my biggest regrets is not having a garden of my own as I live in a flat.
    I really must think about doing some indoor gardening next year.

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