Zucchini Eclipse F1 - Cucurbita pepo

The Eclipse F1 Courgette is a variety that produces numerous round, dark green fruits with lighter stripes throughout the summer. It has a vigorous bushy habit. This courgette is similar to the Ronde de Nice variety and is very easy to stuff. It can be sown under cover from April to May or directly in the ground from late May to late June for a harvest from July to October.

Orange, green, red, yellow, black, or even blue, smooth, ribbed, warty, with tender skin... Squashes and courgettes offer a surprising variety of shapes, colors, and sizes because they hybridize easily. That's why there are so many different varieties.

In common language, winter squashes refer to all types of pumpkins, potimarrons, and butternuts with tough skin and delicately sweet flesh. Summer squashes or courgettes (in Latin, Cucurbita pepo) refer to the different varieties that are harvested when the skin is still tender. The latter are consumed with the seeds when they are still tender.

All squashes are native to America and belong to the large family of cucurbits. They were introduced to Europe in the 16th century. Generally, they are trailing plants that cling to any support with the help of their tendrils. Female flowers can be distinguished from male flowers by their inferior ovary (below the flower), which resembles an embryo of a fruit. In many regions, male flowers are harvested just after pollination to be consumed stuffed or in fritters.

In cooking, courgettes can be prepared in multiple ways: sautéed, fried, gratin, soups, or stuffed. They are essential ingredients in Provençal ratatouille, Maghrebi couscous, and many emblematic Mediterranean dishes. They are low in calories but rich in vitamins, especially provitamin A, vitamin B, and minerals.

Courgettes are fruit vegetables that require regular watering to give their best. They love heat and sun and should not be planted in the garden before early June.

Note: This variety is labeled F1 for "F1 hybrid" because it is a variety resulting from the cross-breeding of carefully selected parents to combine their qualities. This results in a variety that can be particularly tasty and/or early while also being resistant to certain diseases. Sometimes criticized or wrongly associated with GMOs, F1 hybrid seeds are interesting both for their uniformity and their resistance, but unfortunately, their qualities do not pass on to subsequent generations: it will therefore not be possible to save the seeds for future sowing.

Harvest: Courgettes are harvested young and fresh.

Storage: They can be stored for a few days at room temperature or in the bottom of the refrigerator, and cut into pieces and frozen for several months.

The gardener's tip: Don't forget the flowers! Even though the vegetable garden is primarily a garden for producing quality vegetables, it is always interesting to plant flowers. Firstly, for the aesthetic pleasure they provide, but also to repel pests and attract valuable pollinators. So, don't hesitate to plant, in the middle of the rows or at the edge of the bed, Gaillardias, Marigolds, Zinnias, Cosmos, Nasturtiums, or even beautiful herbs like Dill. However, be cautious of some plants, like Borage, which tends to self-seed abundantly in dedicated growing spaces.