Courgette
Courgette ‘Verte d’Italie’
Courgette ‘Verte d’Italie’: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
‘Verte d’Italie’ is a courgette variety of Cucurbita pepo, in the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It belongs to the summer squashes, whose fruits are valued while still young. The name may refer to the non-trailing green Italian courgette also called Coucourzelle. Its distinctive elongated fruits have a dark green background patterned with lighter markings. This varied colouring gives them a different appearance from courgettes with uniformly dark skin.The skin markings take the form of light green stripes and marbling. They run along the fruit and contribute to its decorative appearance in dishes. The flesh is white and fine-textured, with a tender consistency in young courgettes. A fruit continues to develop, however: a large specimen has more developed seeds and a different texture. The variety name therefore does not refer to a single fruit size. It describes characteristics that remain recognisable through different stages of growth, with individual fruits differing in their…
