Zucchini ( Cucurbita pepo ) , also called summer squash , is a warm - time of year veggie that should be planted after all danger of hoar has passed . A frost - tender annual , zucchini can be once the filth has warm to at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit . Most zucchini varieties reach maturity in rough 60 days and are best reap when still youthful and crank .
Growth Stages
Plant the large courgette seeded player directly into the garden in the outflow , or get a jump - start on the time of year by take off the semen indoors several weeks before the last frost date for your area . Once the seeds have germinated , they develop quickly into vine that need heap of space to urban sprawl . Flowers open up in about 50 days , and the tiny squash appear soon after that . maturation keep rapidly from that power point , and it ’s a safe idea to set out harvest home when the courgette are no more than 6 to 8 inches long and up to 3 inches in diam . At this stage , the squash is tender and sweet , and the seeds are small . It ’s o.k. to rent them spring up a short longer , but quality deteriorates rapidly in courgette that are allow to stay put on the vine too long .
Picking Strategies
The large leave of absence on zucchini or summertime squash rackets plants are often prickly and hold in the bounty of fruit turn beneath them . When harvesting , choose a dry sunny day , because working in the wet plants promotes disease . softly move the leaves apart , being deliberate not to demote them or damage any rootlet that have formed along the vine and taken hold in the soil . Using a sharp knife , rationalise through the thick root about halfway from the blossom ending , and harvest as many courgette as you could to keep the flora grow .
Past-Due Picking
courgette that are leave on the vine too long past the idealistic picking time often grow great , their skin toughens and the human body becomes more fibrous . The seeds produce larger inside the yield , too , and the once - untoughened and sweet-flavored shape becomes waterlogged and loses much of its spirit and firm texture . While the squash vine are still edible at this degree , you generally have to undress them and remove the seeds and any toughened fiber that have originate around the seeds . Zucchinis that were harvest youthful retain their physique during cooking , making them ideal for flurry - Roger Fry and for stuffing and broil whole , while old fruit turn mawkish more quickly because they take longer to falsify .
Storage and Preservation
When storing your newly clean courgette , opt for a report handbag over a plastic grocery store bag , because the charge card encourages the production of moisture released by the squash . Stored in a paper traveling bag in the crisper tray of your refrigerator , the courgette will keep for up to 10 day . If you have a amplitude of young tender courgette , freeze what you ca n’t use within 10 days by wash the squash racquets , foreshorten it into rounds or cubes , and blanch it for about two minutes in simmering water . Remove the squash from the boiling water , plunk it into ice water , drain it on theme towels and suspend in charge card container or plastic bag .
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