How to grow them:
The zucchini, or courgette, is a great summer staple.
Planted as the ground warms, courgettes grow well in well-drained soil enriched with compost or well-rotted manure.
You'll get lush leaves, yellow flowers (which are edible and quite the delicacy) and fruit.
Left to grow on to larger sizes, zucchini become huge marrows with hard skin and fit only for stuffing after the seedy insides are scooped out.
Later in the season, the plants are prone to powdery mildew.
Keep well mulched, and foliar-feed with diluted compost tea or a seaweed brew to deter mould.
In the kitchen:
Slice thin strips with a potato peeler and marinate as a side dish.
For a sweet alternative, grate zucchini and add to a rich dark-chocolate cake mixture.
The result is a beautiful moist cake, and the zucchini is unidentifiable.