Pumpkins and Marrows and Squash, oh my!

Time for a small harvest.

When we arrived at the plot, we were greeted with a nice display of Morning Glories.

But then we started gathering... and the gathering didn't stop.

So what have we got here?

• Three large marrows. (Also known as courgettes that got left alone for too long)
• Six small pumpkin gourds.
• A variety of Zierkurbis and Autumn Wings squash.
• Two trays of tomatoes.
• A normal courgette
• One cob of sweetcorn.

Now the Zier kurbis is not edible. They are an ornamental variety. Once cleaned and dried they should keep for a while for display purposes. It has been known that some people have hollowed them out and used them as flower vases. Not sure about some of them because they are a bit twisted, but maybe some of the straighter ones could be used as such.

The tomatoes and courgette are destined for tonight's soup. And the corn... well that's a different story.

Remember when I asked a couple of weeks back, how to tell when the corn was ready to be harvested? Well it seems I may have left it too late. Although the kernels do give a yellow milky fluid when pressed with a nail, most of the kernels are hard and extremely powdery to the taste. So it seems I may be somewhat late in harvesting them. Not to worry though. I'll save some of them for next years seeds. Whilst others went to a good home. The chickens! In return for which I got a couple of fresh eggs. So not bad as far as I'm concerned.

The marrows are now put up on the top shelf of my kitchen. They will become the seed stock for next years crop. I still have about another three marrows on the plot. Though I have culled one plant, there are three others which are going strong. So I expect more courgettes in my future. Keep an eye on that counter.

There are also a lot more tomatoes waiting. Although the foliage is starting to die off now. There are still a lot more to come.

The 2016 Courgette Tally:

51

Fruitfulness

So this will be my entry for the Green Living Forum's September photo competition. "Fruitfulness".

These are my last three "courgettes". Well OK, they're now full grown marrows. They'll spend the next few weeks in the kitchen at home, hardening off the skins (but they are already quite tough), before spending the rest of the winter in the shed. The big fat ones will be used as seeds for next year, the longer one will probably be eaten over the course of the winter months, in stews, soups and  stir-frys. I just wish we had a freezer that we could keep stuff in, but a small London flat has no room for such a creature.

The real marrows still have a few left on them as well. Despite me keeping the canteen at work well stocked up with them.

We've now harvested the last of tomatoes from the greenhouse (they didn't get blight) and a load more runner beans. The beans seem to be producing a lot more flowers - perhaps it's this late summer sun? - so we'll leave the plants in place and see what we can get out of them.

The greenhouse still has plenty of flowers left which the wife looks after. She's wanting her own flower beds for next year. So I suppose I'll have to dig them out and build them ready. Anything to keep her happy.