My parents have a big vegetable garden and I don't mind saying this – I am jealous. Don't get me wrong, I feel very lucky that they let me experiment in their plot and I also love my little garden. This summer it's given me peas, coriander, beans, currants, tomatoes, basil, chillies – all manner of stuff, and I actually like the way its smallness makes me think about what I grow, but when you see a pumpkin rambling at free will all over a quarter-acre field it sticks in the throat a bit.
I have a bit of a thing for squashes – some girls collect shoes, I hoard squashes (I do own shoes, too). My summer selection: 'Defender' (a standard dark green courgette); 'Jemmer' (a yellow version); 'Patty Pan Mixed' (a blend of yellow and pale green scallop squashes); 'De Nice A Fruit Rond' (a pale green, round courgette, perfect for stuffing). The winter ones: 'Hundredweight' (an almighty beast); 'Harrier' (a hybrid butternut); 'Potimarron' (a scrumptious onion squash); 'Crown Prince' (a classic steely-blue type with excellent shelf life). All were sown under glass in mid May, and divvied out between my parents and I in mid June.
No doubt the courgette and summer squash growers among you are well versed in dealing with a glut come this late stage of the season. One recipe I've gleaned (from Antonio Carluccio) is courgette fritters – a tad like a potato rosti but much, much lighter. I've also stuffed many a courgette flower this year (cous cous is presently the favoured filling), which is great as you need to pick the blooms the very day they open else they're too wilted and prone to tearing. The courgette is tiny at this stage, which is handy when faced with dozens of the things. (A certain chef I know has TWO 20m-long polytunnels devoted to producing just courgette flowers – is it me, or is that just showing off?).
The sweet, dense flesh of winter squashes is a different beast. Each individual fruit takes months, not days, to mature so the flavours have time to become deep, intense and nutty. There's no need to wait till winter - you can begin enjoying them now. Just harvest them all before the first frosts and remember to save some, 'curing' the skins by laying the squashes in a dry, sunny spot for a week or two (a greenhouse or sunny windowsill is ideal). After this time the hardened skin encapsulates the flesh within, safely preserving it well into the winter months - I've been known to serve up squash fondue at Easter. Favoured recipes include the aforementioned fondue (a Rachel Allen recipe), spicy squash wedges, and a velvety pumpkin risotto (another of Mr Carluccio's brainwaves). Since reading that coconut makes an excellent partner for squashes my soups have taken on a bit of an Asian feel, too.
My folks aren't too keen on less traditional dishes, but I'm hoping to gradually win them round (dad tried the soup last year and "quite liked it", and mum did bake a courgette cake a few weeks ago). Anyone got any more ideas?
Lucy Halsall is editor of Grow Your Own magazine
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