Zucchini Firenze - Cucurbita pepo

The Courgette Firenze is a well-suited courgette for container cultivation that produces small, shiny green fruits throughout the summer. It is sparsely prickly and has an open habit, making harvesting very easy. It is a variety that has been recognized for its qualities by the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society: a guarantee of quality!

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 astonishing variability in terms of shapes, colors, and sizes because they hybridize with surprising ease. That's why there are so many varieties.

In common language, winter squashes refer to all kinds 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 young and the skin is still tender. The latter are consumed with the seeds, when they are still tender.

All of them are native to America and belong to the large family of cucurbits. They were introduced to Europe in the 16th century. Generally trailing, they 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 marks the beginning of fruit development. 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, including provitamin A, vitamin B, and minerals.

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

Harvest: Courgettes are harvested young and fresh.

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

Gardener's tip: Don't forget the flowers! Even though the vegetable garden is primarily meant to produce quality vegetables, it is always interesting to plant flowers in it. Firstly, for the aesthetic pleasure they provide, but also to repel pests and attract valuable pollinators. So, don't hesitate to plant Gaillardias, Marigolds, Zinnias, Cosmos, Nasturtiums, or even beautiful herbs like Dill, right in the middle of the rows or along the edges of the bed. However, be cautious with some plants, such as Borage, which tends to self-seed abundantly in dedicated cultivation areas.