Courgette crisis!

Isn't a courgette a baby marrow? Don't see marrows anymore in the shops and I love them and surely the marrow was an English vegetable.

I think marrow is an English vegetable. We grow them now, but never had marrows when I was growing up, nor celery (which doesn't seem that exotic), let alone bok choi, mustard and cress, watercress, sweet potato, chickpeas, celeriac, fennel, etc, etc.

When I think about it the vast majority of veg we eat now would have been unknown in my childhood.

...and yet how healthy we all were! Which only goes to show how it doesn't matter, as long as you eat veg, which veg, or how varied.

Yes indeed Falconbird - the fuits start off very small , like a finger. If you don't pick them regularly when they're small you soon have lots of huge marrows.
Marrow is ok, a bit tasteless unless you faff about with the cooking. And not much left when you've removed the skin and seeds. From the same family as squash, but squash has more taste.
We grow the plant, partly because it has lovely flowers, and huge leaves which smother weeds.

Neither of us like courgettes - or aubergines and prefer local veg in season. Somehow it seems to work that lettuce and salad stuff grows best in this climate when the weathers hot and we're wanting salads and the sprouts and leaks are ready just in time for casseroles in winter.

As long as there's plenty of onions and potatoes (which store well for year round use) I'm happy. (And cheese. Not a vegetable but I can't do without it!)

We are lucky to have a huge organic allotment and grow all our own veg. I can only eat 'above ground' veg as roots have too much sugar for me these days, so sadly no carrots which were my previous favourite. However, we have a freezer full of home made ratatouille so not experiencing courgette withdrawal yet. Cauliflower is my mainstay and we also have a freezer full of cauliflower 'rice.' Not to mention vast stocks of home made soup. We are currently cropping sprouts, Nero kale, curly kale, hungry gap kale (a rare heritage variety), a wide selection of oriental veg and salad leaves. Also chard which seems to go on and on despite the frosts. Others are enjoying my banned list of Jerusalem artichokes, swedes, turnips and stored potatoes. Today was the first time I had really been on the land and it was lovely to get out there. Birds singing, hens happily chatting and bulbs coming through. Feeling blessed.

Goodnight from Bella

I grow most of my own fruit, veg herbs and nuts.

Ooh what a lovely place to say goodnight Bella cat!

Bella is a beauty! And a river too? How wonderful. Trout?

My dad used to grow a lot of vegetables, but not the unusual varieties, more the everday staples varian mentions and all types of bean - runner, french and broad beans and peas (not sugar snap, ones that had to be be podded).
He grew marrows but we never picked them as courgettes in those days.
He used to buy field mushrooms from the market on Saturdays sometimes and I remember him opening the brown paper bag and showing me the mushrooms - they were an occasional treat.

Bella is obviously in charge of all she surveys which looks idyllic btw!

Yes Bella is beautiful. She is in charge but not in an in your face sort of way. She is very gentle and we love her to bits. She is from the RSPCA and I nearly overlooked her. So pleased I didn't. She is currently snoozing in her heated bad as its bitterly cold here today.

Bed!!

If there are trout, Izabella, I'll be down as soon as the new season starts !

Few and far between I am afraid