What do you do when courgettes get out of control?

Every courgette grower knows this moment: you pick the plants daily, you give bags of courgettes to neighbours, you put them on the doorstep with a note, and they're still coming. Two plants producing at peak summer can easily generate twenty or more courgettes a week. The trick is not to fight the glut but to have a clear set of strategies ready before the season peaks — because a courgette at 15cm and a courgette at 60cm are entirely different objects requiring different approaches.

The good news is that courgettes are genuinely versatile. With the right methods, a glut can become frozen portions for winter soups, chutney for the larder, dried chips for snacking, or the base for an excellent courgette cake. Nothing needs to go to waste.

Freezing a courgette glut

Freezing is the most volume-efficient way to deal with large quantities quickly. Slice courgettes into 1cm rounds or grate them. Sliced courgettes can be blanched for one minute in boiling water, cooled in ice water, drained thoroughly, and frozen flat on trays before bagging — they freeze well for soups and stews but will be too soft for frying after freezing. Grated courgette squeezed of excess moisture and frozen in 200g portions is ideal for courgette bread, fritters, and cakes through autumn and winter. It defrosts in minutes and works exactly as fresh grated courgette in baking.

Courgette chutney

Courgette chutney is an excellent glut-buster, especially for marrows — the giant courgettes that escaped notice. Dice courgette or marrow into small cubes and make a standard chutney with onion, vinegar, sugar, ginger, and mustard seeds. The mild flavour of courgette takes on spices extremely well, and the finished chutney is delicious with cheese and bread. A glut of ten large marrows can produce thirty or more jars of chutney that will keep for two years — suddenly that October marrow discovery feels manageable.

Drying courgette slices

Thinly sliced courgette — 3–4mm — dried in a dehydrator or low oven until crisp produces an excellent snack similar to vegetable crisps. Season with salt, paprika, or mixed herbs before drying. They keep in an airtight container for several weeks. This method uses a surprising amount of fresh courgette for the volume of finished product, which is either a useful feature (processing a large quantity quickly) or a frustration, depending on your perspective.

Pickling courgettes

Quick-pickled courgette is delicious and takes less than thirty minutes to make. Slice thinly, salt, leave for thirty minutes to draw out moisture, rinse, then cover with hot sweetened vinegar brine with dill, garlic, and mustard seeds. Refrigerator-pickled courgettes keep for two to three weeks and are excellent in sandwiches, salads, and alongside cold meats.

Preventing the glut in future years

The most effective solution to a courgette glut is growing fewer plants. Two plants per household is usually generous; more than two is asking for trouble. Grow one courgette and one pattypan squash for variety without doubling the output. Check plants every single day in mid-summer — a courgette can go from 10cm to 40cm in forty-eight hours in hot weather. Picking regularly at small sizes keeps plants productive for longer rather than allowing them to divert all energy into one enormous marrow.