Marrow/courgette preservin

[QuakerBear]

Does anyone know of some good ways to preserve marrows and or courgettes? I've had a lovely marrow chutney, but it was only about 5% marrow! I need a good way to either pickle, jam-ify, brew, or chutney-ify lots of them. Thank you.

Oh, by the way, thanks for such a useful site.

[Muddypause]

I've put chopped up courgettes into the freezer and they seemed OK for a while. May last longer if you blanch them in boiling water for a couple of minutes first, but this'd probably make them more soggy when they are thawed out.

[Stonehead]

We cut them into chunks and pickle them - either sweet or spicy. We also turn them into chutneys. If I have time later I'll try to put some recipes up.

[QuakerBear]

That sounds good, but i don't have a freezer. Sorry.

[QuakerBear]

Looking forward to your recipies Stonehead, thank you.

[possum]

ooh chilli pickled marrow is one of my favourites

you need
marrow - skinned and cubed, seeds removed
chillies - the hotter you want it the more you add, I think I put about 4 in
all spice berries
salt
vinegar

optional, but i recomend you have at least one in
capsicums - deseeded and cut in large chunks
green tomatoes - halved or quartered depending on size


put ingredients in pan, bring to boil, as soon as it boils, turn the heat off and put into jars, leave for a month.

[ina]

You can bottle them in chunks or slices, possibly with some chopped onions, ready to be made into soup. (Cook lightly so they lose some liquid and you don't have to add lots of water, then fill in screw top jars and sterilise jars for 30 minutes or a bit more, depending on size.)

[Milims]

I have a rather lovely old cook book called Farmhouse Fare, recipes collected by the famers weekly - probably war time. It has some rather wonderful marrow recipes in - like Marrow and apple pie, marrow and pineapple jam, marrow chutney, marrow cream, marrow pickle, marrow soup and marrow stew!! I picked it up in a secondhand shop so it might be worth looking out for. In the meantime if you are particularly interested in any of the recipes I mentioned give me a shout and I'll post it

[Thomzo]

Ah, Milims, you've just reminded me. I've got a book called "We'll eat again". It's full of war time recipes. I found this recipe in it. I've never tried it but it sounds good if you have loads of marrows.

Lemon Curd
3/4lb marrow, peeled and with pips removed
Steam until soft. Drain and mash with a fork.
Add 3/4lb sugar, juice and rind of a lemon, 1.5 ounces butter or marg.
Boil and then simmer for half an hour.
Pot into small pots

Doesn't keep very well apparently.

Once you've made the curd then I also have a recipe for lemon cheesecake ice cream.
1 large pot cream
several tablespoons cream cheese
2 or 3 tablespoons lemon curd to taste. Remember that freezing reduces the flavour so add slightly more than you think you need.
3 or 4 digestive biscuits.

Mix all the wet ingrediants and bung in your icecream maker. Crush the biscuits into pea-sized crumbs and add as the ice cream is churning.

Yum!

Zoe

[Milims]

I think my mum made that or something very similar and it was very yummy - rather like lemon curd but lighter flavoured somehow.
When my kids were very small my dad grew lots of marrows and I simply peeled, chopped and put them in the microwave for a short while so they went soft - the kids lived on this pureed marrow for most of a summer!!!

[QuakerBear]

Thanks Chaps, as soon as mine are big enough I'll give some of your ideas a go and report back on what worked best.

[ina]

The problem I have with most of those preserving ideas is the amount of sugar they use. I'm not that "green" that I would condemn all use of sugar, but for myself I know that sugar doesn't do me any good at all... And anyway, you can only eat so much sweet stuff, or even chutney. And marrow usually leaves you with so much produce that you could make 100s of jars of jam and pickles...

I know that 'll be making a large pot of courgettes based pasta sauce again, for bottling and freezing. Has been a very good standby for "fast food" in the past years. And apart from the tomatoes (which I never seem to have enough of!) I grow everything for that in the garden.

[Millymollymandy]

There is a courgette cake recipe in the food section - do a forum search to find it quickly. It is very nice and my French friends still keep talking about the green cake that I made!

Other alternatives when there is a glut is to feed them to chickens!

[ina]

Other livestock love them, too. I remember that cow in France taking great big bites out of a huge marrow... And my goats like them. Not tried them on sheep yet!

[Millymollymandy]

I remember that cow in France taking great big bites out of a huge marrow...

That wasn't me, I don't like marrow! You must be talking about Chadspad!