ORGANIC GROW
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lots of female flowers. If you don’t want to break off a
male flower, then use a paintbrush to collect pollen from
the stamens in the male flower, and then transfer this
pollen by touching the brush onto the stigma in the
female flower. Pollination is best done in the morning
as the female flowers close up in the afternoon.Diseases
The best known disease that affects zucchini is powdery
mildew. This is a natural part of autumn senescence in
temperate and arid regions. The spread can be delayed
by removing the worst affected leaves, and spraying
the rest of the plant with a milk solution of 1 part milk
to 9 parts water. Over-watered plants and those grown
in badly drained soil can suffer root disease. If the
whole plant collapses, then pull it out and start again
in another part of the garden.Harvesting
Zucchinis are generally ready to harvest from seven
days after fertilisation. Around 15–30 cm long is ideal,
or 15cm with the flower attached. They are best cut,
rather than pulled from the plant, and regular
harvesting promotes ongoing production. If left on the
plant, zucchini can quickly reach huge sizes with the
world record currently being 2.52m. For really sweet,
creamy, nutty delicious flavours, always grow your own
and harvest small. There is just no comparison with
their bland, watery shop bought brethren.Seed saving
Zucchini can cross-pollinate with any other plants
in the C. pepo genus. So if you are growing several
different cultivars, you will need to hand pollinate.
Select a female flower that hasn’t opened (best in the
early morning) and using a paint brush, fertilise from
a male flower on the same plant. Cover with a paper
bag. Remove the bag once the fruit is growing strongly.
Label and allow to grow to full, mature, seed-setting size.In the kitchen
Zucchini flowers are eaten fresh in salads, stuffed and
cooked or dipped in flour and deep fried. In canvassing
friends, I found that everyone has a favourite zucchini
recipe. They ranged from zucchini and carrot pancake,
to sliced zucchini tossed in beaten egg and then fried,
as well as zucchini bread and slice, stuffed zucchini
and finally barbecued zucchini sliced lengthwise and
cooked with olive oil and lemon. But my favourite
recipe is zucchini fritters.500ggratedzucchini
½tspsalt
8 springonionsorchives,chopped
20gchoppedbasil
20gchoppedparsley
20gchoppedmint
125gcrumbedfeta
2 free-rangeeggslightlybeaten
Saltandpepper
60gplainflour
60goliveoilforfryingPlacegratedzucchiniina colanderwithsalt and
leavefor 30 minutes.Patdrywithpapertowel. Place
thezucchini,choppedonionsandherbs,crumbed
feta,eggsandsaltandpepper,intoa bowl and
combine.Finallystirintheflour.
Pourtheoilintoa non-stickfryingpan and heat.
Spooninthefrittermixtothedesiredsize with a
tablespoonandcookuntilgoldenbrown.selectedSEED suppliers
thediggersclubdiggers.com.au
EdenSeedsedenseeds.com.au
GreenHarvestgreenharvest.com.au
RangeviewSeedsrangeviewseeds.com.au
SeedFreaksseedfreaks.com.au
SouthernHarvestsouthernharvest.com.au
The Lost Seed thelostseed.com.auZUCCHINI FRITTERS
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