Zucchini Tuesday - This is the end...

That's it, I have had it with the powdery mildew on the zucchini. Greenskin 3, the last of the three zucchinis I planted in succession this year, is too mould and spotty and it is time for it  to go to the great compost bin in the yard.

With zucchini season over for the year, and the end of Zucchini Tuesday what can I say in summary?

1. Zucchinis are tougher than they look -  Greenskin 1 toughed out a  4 hour move and then being transplanted as a mature plant into a brand new bed with poor soil. Greenskin 2 and 3 coped with the hottest summer on record with limited water. That they survived is remarkable. That they produced any fruit at all is pretty amazing. I didn't get many fruit, it is true but surviving all that abuse proves that it is a bit wonder vegetable as far as I am concerned.

Greenskin 2

2. Zucchinis survive so well because they create their own shade - Well, that's my theory anyway...all those big shady leaves. They can wilt in the heat and bounce back when the sun retreats. I reckon it would be several degrees cooler under a zucchini, and therefore less evaporation.

3. Zucchini flowers are beautiful - Big, blousy, bright yellow with massive stamens and stigmas and then they shrink back to cute bulgy butter-coloured blobs. I really must go about stuffing flowers next season.  I have never attempted it, it always seemed too much bother, but I want to take it on, at least once.

Zucchini flowers are beautiful

4. I like eating zucchini - I really do. It just takes some thinking to make zucchini meals interesting.
I have really enjoyed reading about your zucchini recipes this season.

Here are some of my favourite ones that you have shared -  in no particular order...

Little zucchini babies

Powdery mildew on Greenskin 3

Stuffed flowers
Bek's Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

Salads
Bek's Raw Zucchini Salad

Hot Vegetable dishes
Jen's Moorish Vegetables
Jen's Italian Agrodolce Zucchini

Comfort food
Bek's Zucchi Pizza
Jen's Zucchini Burger
Liz's Zucchini Cake
Liz's Zucchini Pie
Liz's Zucchini and Haloumi Fritters

This season, despite the fact that I have had very few zucchinis, I have added to my own list of recipes which can be found here.

And my zucchini plans for next year?  I will have a go at growing three different colours of zucchini - yellow, dark green and light green -  for colourful salads and a multi-coloured crack at the class 'Three zucchinis under 18cms' at the Gundagai and Adelong Agricultural Shows.

Northerners - I hope your future zucchini / courgette season goes well and hope that these recipes from the south  help you deal with your glut.

Given the amount of cabbages I have planted, I might have to do a Cabbage Tuesday, I might need some inspiration in finding enough recipes for the potential glut.

Until next season -  love your zucchini.