Courgette/Zucchini Tondo di Nizza

Why I grow it

I love courgettes because they're one of those vegetables that can become almost anything in the kitchen, and Tondo di Nizza is particularly lovely. Instead of the usual long green courgette, it produces beautiful little round, pale-green fruit.

Pick them young and they're tender, firm and delicious — and that round shape makes them especially brilliant for stuffing.

At a glance

Type: Round courgette / zucchini
Heritage: Yes
Fruit: Round, pale green and lightly mottled
Growth: Compact, semi-erect bush
Position: Full sun
Harvest: Best around tennis-ball size
Best for: Stuffing, roasting, grilling and everyday cooking

Kings describes it as a French heritage variety, with firm flesh and a nutty flavour when harvested around tennis-ball size. Kings Seeds NZ

In the kitchen

This is an enormously versatile courgette, so I'm not going to pretend there's only one correct thing to do with it.

Harvested young, you can slice and grill it, roast it, sauté it, grate it, add it to pasta and summer dishes or use it anywhere you'd normally use a courgette.

But its party trick is stuffing. Pick the fruit around tennis-ball size, cut off the top, scoop out the centre and fill the little round shell with whatever combination of vegetables, grains, herbs, cheese or meat happens to appeal before baking.

If one particular recipe eventually proves worthy of becoming The Tondo Recipe™, I'll add it here.

In the garden

Tondo di Nizza grows as a relatively compact bush rather than producing long sprawling vines, which makes it a useful courgette for smaller potagers and raised beds.

Don't be tempted to leave the fruit until they're enormous. Pick them regularly at around tennis-ball size, when the skin is tender and the flesh is at its best. Regular harvesting also encourages the plant to keep producing. Kings Seeds NZ

Care

Plant in rich, fertile, well-drained soil in full sun once the danger of frost has passed. Keep watering consistent, particularly during flowering and fruiting, and feed regularly through the growing season.

Courgettes are hungry plants and appreciate plenty of organic matter. Check underneath those enormous leaves regularly — otherwise a perfectly sensible tennis-ball courgette will inevitably turn into a small cannon while your back is turned.

What you'll receive

One healthy, established plant grown here at A Garden Between. Plants naturally vary in size and shape and may be supplied in reused nursery pots or growing bags — perfectly useful plastic doesn't need replacing simply because it doesn't match.