Encourage your Black Forest plants to scramble up a trellis, fence or netting (tie in the stems regularly to help support the weight of the fruits) and see your crop of rich green smooth fruits developing before your eyes. With sturdy support your plants can reach the dizzying heights of 1-2m and allow you more ground space for other crops. This height also makes it one of the easiest courgettes to harvest at the optimum size that you prefer.6 seeds)
What size is best?
You can eat courgettes raw in salads – for this you need to pick them when immature at about the size and length of your little finger. These can be crunched as they are or cut them and use them like carrot sticks and eat with dips & humus
For roasting courgette sticks pick the fruits at about 15cm and cut lengthways in half and half again (into 4 long pieces). Drizzle these with oil (or spray with a 1cal spray) & scatter with herbs. For a stronger flavoured dressing try balsamic vinear 7/or marmite! At this size the will take about 20 mins at 190°C
For pan frying or grilling rings then you can harvest at a larger size and simply slice the fruits
