Zucchini Nano Verde di Milano - Cucurbita pepo

The Nano Verde di Milano Courgette is a classic and delicious Italian variety that will produce regularly throughout the summer as long as you harvest its fruits as they mature. Its flowers, which are also edible, are excellent in omelettes or fritters.

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 variability of shapes, colors, and sizes because they hybridize with disconcerting ease. That is 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. By summer squashes or courgettes (in Latin, Cucurbita pepo), we mean 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 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 their tendrils. Female flowers can be distinguished from male flowers by their inferior ovary (under the flower), which is like an embryo of a fruit. In many regions, male flowers are harvested just after pollination to be eaten stuffed or fried.

In cooking, courgettes can be prepared in multiple ways: sautéed, fried, gratinated, in 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 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 when young and fresh.

Storage: They can be stored for a few days at room temperature or in the bottom 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 a garden for producing 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 precious pollinators. So, don't hesitate to plant Gaillardias, Marigolds, Zinnias, Cosmos, Nasturtiums, or even beautiful herbs such as Dill in the middle of the rows or at the edge of the bed. However, be cautious of certain plants, although very useful, such as Borage, which tends to self-seed abundantly in dedicated cultivation areas.