Courgettes compared to supermarket

I am considering growing courgettes, because I find the slimy residue you find on supermarket courgettes off-putting. What is it? It gets on your hands when you wash them when preparing them for cooking. Is it pesticide residue? It seems to react with water maybe. Sometimes I have to peel the courgettes and the residue stays on my hands after washing them with soap - in a similar way that snail slime does. It can't be snail slime though, can it?!

Does this happen with courgettes that are organically grown?

Thanks in advance.

 

Sounds like they are waxed to stop them drying out - like they do for citrus fruit.

 

Thanks, @Escarpment. It is so weird and slimy though. I don't get this with lemons and oranges. It sounds like I need to try organic supermarket/farm courgettes, or to grow my own, then?!

 

Well I definitely didn't get it on my home grown courgettes, the few tiny ones I managed to grow as they hated the cool wet summer!

 

I can't say I've noticed any sliminess on either shop-bought or homegrown courgettes. Homegrown usually taste better, but I don't know whether that's because I pick them at a smaller size than I can usually find in the shops - they're often halfway towards becoming marrows.

 

It probably depends where you're buying them from - I can't remember experiencing it either. But I can imagine that waxing them is something some producers/retailers would do, to make them look more shiny and appealing and increase the shelf life.

 

I think its the sap inside them, some people are more susceptible to it than others, also it depends on the variety.

 

I don't peel my courgettes very often and when I do they are peeled dry.

 

I've not experienced sliminess on any courgettes I've bought. I only buy them now and again, usually for chopping, roasting and adding to soup. Perhaps it's the type being sold where you shop?
My sister [much further east] used to grow them many decades ago, without any problem other than that the family was sick to death of them because they grew too well! I grew them a few years ago for my younger daughter, because of her dietary problems, and they're quite easy if you get the right weather and variety. They were fine too - the only time they were slimy was after the usual, inevitable attacks from slugs....sigh....

 

I do notice that I feel a tiny amount of liquid on the skins of courgettes, both from the greengrocers and home grown. I know that what I'm noticing isn't chemical (I don't use any) and I don't think it's anything to worry about at all.

...and I've never peeled a courgette.

 

There are various treatments used in commercial production of vegetables as shelf-life extenders.
Some are more benign than others and may include starch-glucose, calcium proprionate, various fungicides, and cobalt60 gamma radiation. These may be supplemented by washing in solutions and wax type coatings/polishes.It is likely to be declared in producer labeling on original cartons or packaging, which may remain at point of sale. Its worth checking !

 

No, I've never peeled one either. The green skins add to the visual appeal of the meal.

 

Thanks for all your replies for now...

The thing is, the slimy feel gets worse with contact with water - I think. Will check again later, when back in the kitchen!...tbc.

 

I paid special attention when washing and cutting a courgette this evening. Unfortunately for the purpose of this report, there was nothing odd about it.

Makes me wonder if it was slightly fresher ( bought within 4 days) than the ones I had been mentioning before.

Also, I would say it's more sticky than slimy, until I get water on my hands/courgette and then it gets slimy. At this point, if it is really slimy, I will peel it.

Will have to try again with a courgette that was bought maybe 6 plus days previously, and maybe try with an organic courgettes (surprisingly not that available, I find otherwise I would be inclined to buy them more frequently).