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Courgettes, marrow, squash and pumpkin

The eye-catching contours and colours of courgettes, marrow, squash and pumpkin flag up a useful and easy-going family of vegetables. They keep well, for months in the case of the harder winter squashes, and their obliging ability to soften down to a pulp and combine unobtrusively with other ingredients, almost as a thickener, makes them very handy indeed.

With courgettes, colour is a distraction – green or yellow, they all taste the same – but small is beautiful. If you can get the finger-slim, new-season crop, they have a sweeter, slightly nutty flavour and a firm texture. The larger they grow, the more watery and insipid they become. They contain lots of water, so there’s no need to add any. Other thin-skinned summer squashes, such as the dinky little gem and the flying saucer-shaped patty pan, have similar-tasting flesh to courgettes, but their high ratio of skin to flesh doesn’t appeal to everyone and makes them more of an occasional novelty crop than a trusty staple. The main thing marrow has going for it is size and shape – perfect for stuffing – although if you are going to go to that bother, cabbage, tomatoes or peppers will produce tastier results.

Among the orange-coloured squashes, it’s easy to be impressed by the quirky ensemble of turban-shaped Turk’s head squash, stripy green kabocha, and heart-shaped, ribbed acorn, but they take a while to prepare and the flavour doesn’t always merit that investment of time. Butternut squash gets the popular vote. It isn’t so time-consuming to prepare because you can use a potato peeler, and the velvety, sweet orange flesh is wonderfully rich, sometimes so rich and sugary that it is almost too much and on its way to being a pudding. Pumpkins look fantastic, but their flesh is meek and insipid by comparison. If you feel inspired to do something with them other than carve a Hallowe’en lantern, go for the heaviest and firmest you can find to be sure of getting the maximum amount of usable flesh.

Things to do with courgettes, marrow, squash and pumpkin

• Grill long thin slices of oiled courgette on a ridged, cast-iron grill pan. Serve at room temperature drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, chopped fresh mint and crumbly white cheese such as Lancashire or feta.

• Use larger, more watery courgettes to thicken up and add bulk to any liquidized vegetable soup, instead of stodgier potato or lentils.

• Butternut squash rarely disappoints in a soup but, to stop it resembling baby food, sweat the flesh with onions and lots of fresh ginger then finish it off with coconut milk and a very generous dusting of grated nutmeg. Add red lentils if you want to make it heartier.

• You can make something of larger courgettes by sautéing slices in a heavy pot with unsalted butter, a soft, over-ripe fresh chopped tomato, a garlic clove, sea salt and a generous grind of black pepper, then cooking very slowly with a lid on until they soften. Chuck in a handful of torn fresh basil at the end.

• Marrow finds a purpose in chutney, where its bland flesh comes alive with the assertive flavours of vinegar, sugar and spices.

• The best recipes for pumpkin are American, such as custardy pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake. Pumpkin works really well in desserts with treacle and sweet spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom.

Are courgettes, marrow, squash and pumpkin good for me?

Courgettes, marrows and other types of thin-skinned squash such as patty pan are mainly made up of water, but they do provide some vitamin C, which supports the immune system, and soluble fibre, which slows down the rate at which sugar is released into the bloodstream, along with useful minerals like manganese, magnesium and potassium. The harder, heavier, orange-fleshed types of squash, such as butternut, kabocha and pumpkin, have more going for them nutritionally because they contain less water and are a more concentrated source of these vitamins. They are also a rich source of carotenoids, such as cryptoxanthin. Some research suggests that people who eat more carotenoid-rich food have a lower risk of cataracts, heart disease and certain cancers. The darker-fleshed the squash or pumpkin, the more carotenoids it contains.

Pesticide residues have been a concern with courgettes in recent years, so much so that the European Commission has issued EU-wide alerts. Since pesticide residues are toxins, it is best to minimize exposure, and therefore to buy organic courgettes. Marrows, pumpkins and squash seem to be more or less free from residues.

How are courgettes, marrow, squash and pumpkin grown?

Courgettes, marrow, squash and pumpkin are field-grown crops. Sometimes in cold weather they are grown under polytunnels or covered with plastic or fleece to protect them from cold and encourage them to mature earlier. Courgettes, marrows and pumpkins all grow in the UK and Ireland, although many of the courgettes we eat also come from Spain and France. Hard-skinned winter squashes are imported from Europe, usually Italy and Greece, and also from South America, South Africa and Egypt.

Are courgettes, marrow, squash and pumpkin green choices?

To cut down on needless environmentally destructive food miles, eat courgettes, marrow and other thin-skinned squashes in summer, pumpkins in autumn, and thick-skinned British winter squashes in winter. Try to avoid imports at other times of year by focusing on seasonal vegetables grown closer to home. If you find yourself choosing among imported winter squashes such as butternut, go for those grown in Italy and Greece over those from further afield. If you buy these Europe-grown winter squashes when they are on offer, and store them for future use in a cool place, like a garden hut, cellar or unheated room, they will keep for months.

INEDIBLE GIANTS

The enduring popularity of courgettes and marrows in our gardens speaks volumes about how easily they grow. Even the least dedicated gardener with the shortest attention span can produce courgettes. In no time you get yellow flowers which, given a couple of warm, sunny days and a bit of rain, can turn into edible courgettes in the blink of an eye. Left ignored, a modest courgette will reinvent itself as a marrow.

For its part, the super-sized marrow drops into the scene like an alien invader from outer space. One minute there is only a flower. The next, it is taking over the garden. The English have something of an obsession with this watery vegetable, which has nothing to do with taste, and everything to do with scale. Rural competitions for prize marrows are hotly contested, and debates over judging can become as acrimonious as those over the lightest Victoria sponge. As evidence of the English dedication to the marrow, in 2008 a Norfolk grower, Ken Dade, went into the Guinness Book of Records for producing the world’s biggest marrow on record. Weighing in at sixty-five kilos, and resembling a gigantic gherkin, it took two men to carry it. The prize-winning seeds were retained to produce more massive marrows in future years, and the flesh dutifully composted. Needless to say, no one seriously considered eating it.

Where and when should I buy courgettes, marrow, squash and pumpkin?

UK- and Ireland-grown courgettes, marrows and other thin-skinned summer squashes such as little gem and patty pan, are in season from June to September. The more unusual types generally only turn up in organic vegetable box schemes and at farmers’ markets. UK- and Ireland-grown pumpkins and winter squashes are in season from late August until November. Imported, thick-skinned, winter squashes, such as butternut, are available year round.

Will courgettes, marrow, squash and pumpkin break the bank?

Courgettes and marrows are always cheap. You will pay more for novelty summer squashes like patty pan. Fresh pumpkins are great for making lanterns, but for pies and other recipes, tinned pumpkin pulp might end up being cheaper. Imported winter squashes cost more than courgettes or marrow, but they contain a lot less water and a little goes a long way. Half a butternut squash, for instance, will make a decent quantity of soup. You pay a premium in supermarkets for the more unusual-looking winter squashes, such as acorn, Turk’s head and kabocha, largely because of their novelty value. Those in vegetable boxes and at farmers’ markets will usually be cheaper.