Fabulous White courgette tenderness
Courgette Blanche de Virginie is an old heirloom summer-squash (courgette) variety believed to originate from the U.S. state of Virginia. It is said in many seed houses that the variety was already mentioned in 1867 in horticultural literature but we could not find any clear reference in horticultural catalogs. This bush type squash variety is prized for its elegant cream-white to very pale green/white fruits and their flesh is tender, sweet, fine and moist. Their skin remain edible even when fruits grow large — a trait that is said to have it made it popular with 19th-century and later gardeners. This variety performed incredibly for us, both in terms of resistance to disease and productivity. It was by far the most productive courgette we grew this year. Highly versatile in the kitchen, we used it young for stuffing or stir-fries, and fully mature for roasting, soups and stews. Young fruits are also excellent raw (salads, carpaccio), or lightly grilled, sautéed, baked in gratins, or used in ratatouille; flowers can be stuffed or battered.
Scientific Name: Cucurbita pepo
Plant Life Cycle: annual
Optimal Germination Temperature: 20-24C
Germination time in days: 5-14 days
Indicative Days to maturity: 90 days
Sunlight: full sun
Soil requirement: rich in organic matter, well drained, fertile
Sowing and cultivation: Sow seeds indoors or in warm seedbeds from spring (March–May depending on local frost date) or sow direct when soil is warm. Transplant outdoors after last frost when soil temperature is reliably warm; space plants about 1 metre apart to allow the bush habit room to spread. Water regularly (especially during dry spells) and harvest young to encourage continued production.
