If your polytunnel garden is doing well then from time to time you may find yourself with a glut on your hands. A glut of courgettes can be somewhat overwhelming. But gluts should not be viewed as challenges but rather as opportunities. Don’t waste your excess produce! Here are some suggestions for things that you can do with a glut of courgettes:
Cook Your Courgettes
Of course one of the first things to consider when facing your mountain of courgettes is how you can cook them in a wide range of interesting and different ways. For example, you could make courgetti ‘spaghetti’ to use in place of pasta for a healthy meal. You could make some courgette curry, some fritters, or some savoury courgette muffins. If you are inventive in the ways you cook and use courgettes then you are far less likely to get bored.
Freeze Your Glut of Courgettes
If you don’t have time to cook with all your courgettes, you could freeze some courgettes for use over the winter months. Simply slice or dice your courgettes and place them on trays to freeze them before tipping them into a freezer container. Freezing them on trays first will stop them all sticking together and you can simply toss a few into your winter recipes as and when you want to.
Make Courgette Preserves
Freezers can fill up quickly, so if you do not have much space to freeze your courgettes, consider making some easy-peasy courgette chutney or finding another preserve recipe. Courgettes lend themselves to chutneys or other spicy condiments, so why not give this a go? It won’t take long and you will be able to enjoy the nutrients and flavours of summer all year round.
Barter Your Courgettes
Another thing to consider if you have a glut is that others may be prepared to exchange your courgettes for something else that they have too much of. You might be able to barter your courgettes for runner beans, perhaps, or some summer fruits. Think outside your household to the wider community before you let anything go to waste.
Gift Your Courgettes
Of course, you could also simply give your excess courgettes away to friends, family or neighbours. Give away excess produce to those who may appreciate it. There is no excuse for letting good food go to waste, so don’t let that happen!
What do you do with a glut of courgettes? Let us know in the comments below.
