the great green giveaway

Well, that went better than expected...

As previously mentioned, I did neglect the plot a bit toward the end of summer, and by the time the August Bank Holiday had been and gone there were a few large marrows lurking under the excessively spikey leaves of this year's courgette plants. Since we have tried, and got bored of, virtually every courgette recipe we could find over the last two years, they continued to lurk in the fridge for a couple of days. They sat there taking up a whole shelf, blocking out the little light, a brooding reminder of my culinary incompetence, before I hit upon the idea of taking them in to work as a 'holiday gift.'  I promptly piled them into a basket and set off, to see what would happen when I let my unsuspecting colleagues assume the responsibility of what to do with them. Surprisingly they all went within a couple of hours, and I was even asked for more; amazing bunch, my colleagues. Suggestions ranged from Zucchini Bread (for the smaller fruits), to an ambitious-sounding marrow and ginger jam, some of which I was promised if the recipe went well (it did not).  I went home with an empty basket and a light heart, finally relieved of responsibility for the blasted things and having made a change from all the packs foreign sweets and shortbread that appear in the shared kitchen at this time of year.

I very much enjoyed reading this humorous article on marrows in The Telegraph today, it seems I'm not alone in wondering what the hell to do with the things. People all across the land must be having the same thoughts. I think I will quietly forget to plant any courgettes next year. No-one really knows what to do with them anyway.

STOP PRESS: Apparently you can also use courgettes as bear repellant. You  heard it here first:
Woman fights off bear with courgette