There are three volunteer pumpkin vines growing along the side of our deck. At least I thought so. Upon closer inspection, one of the plants might be a zucchini.
Zucchini or Pumpkin? July, 2017
Zucchini or Pumpkin? August, 2017
Zucchini is an American term for courgette or summer squash. They’re harvested when the fruit is small and cooked in a variety of ways. When left unchecked, they will grow substantially. I learned from Sarah the Gardener that overgrown courgettes are known as marrows.
I’ve never been a fan of zucchini. People wonder “how can you be a vegetarian and not like zucchini!?” I don’t mind it in soups or zucchini bread, but otherwise I’ll give it a pass. My favorite greens, in the following order, are broccoli, green beans, snow peas, bell peppers, and several others I’m forgetting and then zucchini. Technically, zucchini are a fruit, but most of us think of them as a vegetable. That said it still doesn’t make the list when I could be eating pears, green apples, kiwi, grapes, and melon. Sorry zucchini.
I digress.
Pumpkins and zucchini (or courgettes) are members of the Cucurbita pepo or Cucurbita genus. The leaf and flower of both plants look quite a bit alike. Our plant, however, didn’t develop a trailing habit. It grew more like a shrub. While making the garden rounds, I notice the unusual growing habit of the fruit. Unlike a typical pumpkin it was long and narrow. When Mike returned from a long trip to South America, he pronounced “It’s a zuke.” He grew up in an Italian family where his mom prepared lots of zucchini in her day.
Apparently I had an overgrown zucchini (marrow) on my hands. I would follow Sarah’s lead and prepare it for eating. Sarah made marrow chips with her overgrown fruit. She’ll show you how here. Sarah says they’re delicious. I could disguise the flavor and texture through food preparation. Brilliant!
I cut the fruit from the plant and left it to harden off on the deck for a few days. I kept an eye on it outside my kitchen window.
Miniature Buddha for scale
You know where this is going, right? It started turning orange!
Not a zucchini?
Time will tell.
Gardening Nirvana 
Just had zucchini and summer squash for dinner – I love it! Don’t ask me to identify anything though – a gardener I am not. 🙂
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…but you can spot it at the grocery store and prepare it for a meal, so points, points, points. 🙂
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Hi Alys. Enjoy your zucchini chips – they are really quite moreish and the dressing you add before drying them makes all the difference! : o)
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Hi Sarah, I had to look up “moreish” and now I’m happy to have a new expression. I’m so glad you’ve moved into spring in your garden. All the exciting months lie ahead.
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From some dim, far off memory I think I can recall marrow turning yellow as they become over ripe – which means they become quite watery in texture. Sarah may correct this or tell you more if she comes by. It’s interesting that to me zucchini, courgette and marrow are all the same vegetable (!) just in varying sizes and states of ripeness. I love either of the first two sauteed in a little butter along with an onion and a green pepper, liberally doused with salt and pepper and served over a slice or two of garlic bread …….. I wonder if being a member of the ‘Curcubita’ genus means they are a source of curcumin, which is very good for you?
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Pauline, I read a blog for a year before realizing what a courgette was. I did read that as the fruit is past its prime it can turn yellow, though this had much more of an orange tinge to it. But you’ll never guess? That orange has already gone back to green. I should just cut the darn thing open and let the chips fall where they may. Now I’m off to look up curcumin…
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Well I have no idea what your fruit is doing! Perhaps it was feeling momentarily embarrassed? If you cut it open and make those chips – they certainly will fall where they may 😀 (Sorry!)
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[snicker]
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Here’s what Wiki has to say: Turmeric is derived from the rhizomes (underground stems) of the plant Curcuma longa, a member of the ginger family. … Curcumin, which has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, is the most active constituent of turmeric, making up between two to six percent of this spice. I better get some, STAT.
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Thanks for that Alys – I never seem to get round to looking things up, must practise more assiduously! I take a teaspoon of turmeric every morning in my smoothie and often have something called a turmeric latte or ‘golden yogini’ which is basically a teaspoon of turmeric in a cup of milk with a good dash of cinnamon, mixed together, warmed and stirred and drunk before bed. I love it and all my congestion issues are kept at bay 🙂
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I’ve just bought some turmeric and will share it with Mike. He’s had sinus issues for a lifetime, so I know we’ll both benefit. Thanks, Pauline!
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I’m with you, Alys when it comes to zucchini. I only want it in bread. I don’t care for most cooked veggies anyway. Fresh is it for me. It looks like a zucchini gone wild. Good luck with the identification.
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Thanks, Marlene. Time will tell. One year I harvested what I thought was an odd looking pumpkin, and once open, turned out to be a cantaloupe! I like my broccoli steamed, but like you, prefer raw cauliflower, peppers, tomatoes, carrots and most greens. You can so much more flavor.
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Perhaps it’s a pumccini. Or a zuckin. I await the colour change with bated breath! Do you want the recipe for a lime/zucchini sponge with coconut lime frosting which is one of the most popular cakes my GF baking business ever had? No visible zucchini, just light, moist, fluffy deliciousness…
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If it’s gluten free, I’d sure love the recipe 🙂
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It is GF. All my cake recipes are 🙂 I’ll contact you via your blog with my email address. Just reply with yours so I can email you some recipes.
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Great thanks!
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Hello I’d love some recipes specific to zucchini!!!
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If you send me your email address (see the Contact Me page on my blog, I’ll email you the GF lime zucchini sponge recipe. Please note that the measurements are in Australian cups which are slightly larger than the ones used in the US. Australian cups are 250ml, US cups are 240ml, the 10ml difference equating to about 3 fluid ounces in volume.
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I love this recipe exchange across the miles. It makes me smile.
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Pumccini! I’m sure you’re right, Kate. 😉 That recipe sounds amazing so “yes please!”
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Recipe on the way by email 🙂
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Thank you, Kate! You’re the best.
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😉
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Time will tell! Maybe it will end up as squirrel food. 😉 Oh, I love zucchini, in moderation, or in ratatouille.
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You may very well be right! I’m surprised that they’ve shown little interest this year in the pumpkins or the tomatoes, let alone this mystery fruit. I’m NOT complaining, though.
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Perhaps there is too much other food available at the moment.
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I’m sure you’re right!
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Mm, I love ratatouille, too.
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I like it too when it’s prepared well.
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I think there are different versions on the theme. In Greece, they have something called ‘briam’. I can’t remember the difference between that and ratatouille, though.
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I love zucchini! Especially in lasagne 🙂 good to find you here!
http://www.dariasdiaries.eu
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Hello Daria. Thanks for stopping by.
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The mystery in the garden! I do have a recipe for zucchini frozen yogurt which is, believe it or not, kind of delightful. If this turns out to be a zucchini, of course . . .
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Kerry, I can’t quite imagine frozen zucchini yogurt, but since it seems to be used is so many ways, perhaps it simply takes on the flavors of the yogurt but adds texture. Fascinating!
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If it turns out to be zucchini, you might also like it sliced really thin and hidden in lasagne layers. My sister does this: anything tastes great slathered with tomato sauce and cheese! My only complaint though is that it does release a lot of water when it cooks 😦
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LOL Yes, cheese and tomato sauce do go a long way toward making anything delicious. I wonder if you could slice the zucchini and let it sit for awhile to allow some of the water to absorb?
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Maybe it’s a crossbreed. It doesn’t look like a “zuke”. I don’t know but please do tell us when you find out. I hope it’s yummy whatever it is. Now I’m hungry. 🙂
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Amy, I was looking at it again today, trying to decide what to do. Once I cut into it, I’ll know what it is. If it’s a zucchini I can move forward, but if it’s a pumpkin I’ll be sad. Insert frowny face here. I’ll keep you posted. I hope you’ve eaten by now. 🙂
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LOL! Maybe you have grown a new hybrid of marrow/zucchini/pumpkin! Now what could you call it…. a Zumpkin?! 😉 By the way, as a child we used to have stuffed marrow, or steamed marrow with white sauce. Yum! That was before zucchinis/courgettes were heard of in the UK… and yet it was the same plant! I often stuff zucchinis too. Delicious! 😉
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Cathy, Zumpkin made me laugh. I like it! Do you mean that you ate zucchini but called them marrow? It’s really a versatile food, isn’t it.
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Yes, we always had huge marrows but never ate them when they were small and didn’t know anything about the other names for the young vegetables. We also didn’t know you can eat the flowers! Despite what many people say, we loved marrow!
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That’s terrific, Cathy! It’s amazing what we learn in a lifetime.
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I’m not overly keen on courgettes/zucchini as a vegetable either and when we grew them they were constantly hiding from me and then turning into marrows which I like even less. However, I do have a very good courgette cake recipe which I was going to offer you but I see Kate got there first. If you would like a fully paid up member of the gluten family recipe though, just let me know 😉 (Photos to tempt you here https://thetialys.wordpress.com/2017/03/24/how-to-eat-vegetables/ )
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Thanks for sharing the link. That does look tasty and pretty, too. So many choices!
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It will be interesting to see what the fruit turns out to be… maybe a hybrid as others have suggested?
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I should cut it open soon. Stay tuned.
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I’m totally going with Zucchini because I’ve bought it often. I especially like them when you slice it into fingers, roll them in mayo or Miricle Whilp (instead of egg), then a mixture of panko crumbs and herbs. I like garlic and onion powder. then you bake them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Ta Da Zucchini stix! Yum. I think that’s a weight watcher recipe. The usually stix’s recipe has cheese and egg. Then I also like to dip them into dilly sour cream. We could make some when I come. I think you’d like them even if you don’t like zucchini 😀 Your garden looks super tidy! xoxo k
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Wow, so many recipes and creative ways to eat Zukes! My front garden looks tidy, but the back garden really needed a lot of work. It’s been blazing hot for so long, that I could never find a time to get out there. I used to garden in the summer evenings, but we had temps remaining in the 80s long after dark. I finally got out there yesterday and pruned, raked, pulled out the last of some of the vines, etc. I’m getting some nice tomatoes, finally, and I’ve harvested two pumpkins. Again, tomorrow, mid 90’s, but then another cool off. Hugs
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Oh Crumb for that weather. I’m wondering what winter will bring our way. We didn’t get much snow last year at all. I hope fall comes your way soon. That 90’s business is not for anyone serious about enjoying the outdoors. Good for you to get the yard tidy. I did a bit in my pyjamas yesterday morning. Chopped down and bagged out a bunch of dried perrenial plants, including a giant rubbarb. I thought of our ol’ buddy ‘PJ’. I sent her a message via her about page recently, but no reply. It’s something I think about sometimes……what ever happened. I hope for the best . Hooray for Pumpkins, two!! Awesome blossum xox k
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It’s interesting how we feel so strongly about PJ and her absence in the blogging world. I’ve sent her a couple of notes in the past too, as well as our dear Teddi and Toddy friend, but also no reply. I feel a bit sad not knowing as they were both such dear friends and a big part of our world for awhile. So, I wonder how often you and I are doing the same thing at the same time, but just don’t know it: trips to Starbucks, working in the garden, making a craft, etc. How I wish we lived closer. xo
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Wow, what a community discourse on zucchini! I chuckled a few times, and then was glad I knew what a sponge was, having just watched the British Baking Contest on PBS. I’m sure I would like that lime / zucchini sponge.
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It was indeed. It reminds me of a group of women chatting together about recipes. We used to do that in person. Now we get to do it via blogging and gather recipes from around the world. What a wonderful world!
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Zucchini is an Italian vocabulary word, sister, not an American term! Stop spreading ignorance!
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