Organic Zucchini Amalthee F1 - Cucurbita pepo

'Amalthée F1' Courgette is an excellent quality variety that develops beautiful jade green speckled fruits in early summer. The smallish, cylindrical courgettes have a firm texture and a remarkably sweet taste. Sow this productive, non-trailing variety from March to June. Harvest from June to October.

Orange, green, red, yellow, black, or even blue, smooth, ribbed, warty, with tender skin, etc. squashes and courgettes boast an astonishing variability of shapes, colours, sizes. They hybridise with remarkable ease, hence the huge number of varieties. 

In common language, winter squash refers to all kinds of pumpkins, potimarrons, pumpkins, etc. with tough skin and delicately sweet flesh. By summer squash or courgettes, we mean the different varieties that are harvested when the skin is still tender and young. These are consumed with the seeds.

They all originate from America and belong to the large Cucurbitaceae family. They were introduced to Europe in the 16th century. There are about ten species of squash, four of which are the most cultivated in our vegetable gardens. These are Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita moschata or winter squash, Cucurbita maxima and finally Cucurbita argyrosperma:

Cucurbita pepo: these are the most common in vegetable gardens, including certain pumpkins, courgettes, and pattypan squash, among others. including some pumpkins, courgettes, and pattypan squashes, etc. They are generally recognised by their rigid and serrated leaves and their angular peduncle with at least 5 ribs that do not widen at the point of attachment to the fruit.

Cucurbita moschata or winter squash: these plants have soft leaves. The peduncle is very ribbed and visibly widens at the point of attachment to the fruit. The leaves take the shape of a heart.

Cucurbita maxima: these are mainly pumpkins. Their peduncle is rounded and becomes somewhat spongy. As the name of the species suggests, it mainly concerns varieties with large fruits. The leaves have 5 lobes.

Cucurbita argyrosperma: they are very rarely found in our gardens. They have trilobed leaves and a very thick, robust, and non-ribbed peduncle.

Generally trailing, they cling to any support with their tendrils. Female flowers are distinguished from male flowers by their inferior ovary (under the flower), resembling an embryo of fruit. In many regions, male flowers are harvested after pollination to be eaten stuffed or in fritters. 

Harvesting: courgettes are harvested whilst they are still young and tender. They should be handled with care to avoid damaging the skin.

Storage: courgettes do not store well because of their fine skin. It is possible to freeze them in slices for later use.

Gardener's tip: place a slate or tile under the fruit. It will no longer be in direct contact with the ground, thus avoiding rotting due to moisture. They also particularly like slightly moist soils. Mulch around the plants, especially during the height of summer. Squashes and courgettes are very susceptible to powdery mildew (a fungal disease that leaves a white fuzz on the surface of the leaves). Avoid watering the leaves or flowers. Plant your squashes with alliums like chives, onions or shallots, or with legumes like beans or peas. However, the marriage of squash and cucumber may be detrimental to both parties.

It’s always a good idea to leave a bit of room for flowers in the vegetable patch. Growing flowers alongside vegetable plants will make your general gardening experience more enjoyable and is a great way to attract pollinators and repel garden pests. Flowers such as gaillardia, marigolds, zinnias, cosmos or nasturtiums can be sown in and around the rows of vegetables. Herbs such as dill can be very useful. Bear in mind that some companion plants self-seed easily and can be a bit invasive (borage, chives, lemon balm, etc.)

NB. Organic seeds (in French "AB" for "Agriculture Biologique") are produced from plants that are not treated with phytosanitary products (insecticides, weed killers). The seeds do not undergo post-harvest treatment. They carry the AB label and are approved by Ecocert, an independent body.

This variety is marked F1 for "F1 hybrid" meaning that its qualities are derived from carefully selected parent plants. This results in a variety that is both full of flavour and resistant to diseases. Sometimes criticised or wrongly assimilated to GMOs, F1 hybrid seeds have the advantage of producing reliable, uniform, disease resistant plants. Unfortunately, these qualities will not be passed on to following generations.