Marrows and courgettes

Never having grown these before and planning to next year I have a question.
Are marrows large courgettes and courgettes small marrows?
The reason I ask is that today for about the first time I ate a courgette, in a salad uncooked and thought it was a bit bitter and bland. Should I only eat them cooked and if so, how?
Marrows I love steamed with butter and pepper, served with spinach and nothing else.
If they're the same why buy 2 different seeds and just harvest them at different stages.
Sorry for the ramble but I'd be interested in the answers.
Thanks

 

Personally I dont like either, but used to grow marrows for others.

There are specific varieties that are termed courgette and marrow, but its basically the same plant.

I always grew "long green bush" marrows.

Courgettes are the snobby version, continental idea, modern etc.

 

I think courgettes generally come from smaller plants, but they are basically the same.

It’s like baby carrots v big stewing carrots. The little ones (courgettes, esp. when picked small) are a little sweeter, and a lot more tender. I love them thinly sliced (like cucumber) on the diagonal, tossed in seasoned olive oil, then cooked very lightly on a griddle, turning occasionally, until they go translucent. Very tasty.

An occasional one sneaks under the radar, hiding under those big spikey leaves, and becomes a small marrow. Then it’s chutney time!! Just bottled a batch - tastes better than branston!!

 

Thanks for three interesting answers,
Pete, I had a sneaking suspicion about courgettes being "the posh version", I've got a packet of Long Green Bush in the box ready to sow.
Sian, I'll try the griddle with the ones I bought to try and improve the taste, as for marrow chutney, that's an idea I will try.
Shiney, yeah, had the bitter taste even with salad cream, Stan the springer ate them, funnily enough even he wouldn't eat them without the salad cream.
In the photo the all green one looks like the courgette, was that the winner or the big marrow like one?
Thanks again.

 

That would last me a couple of days, hope I get somewhere near it next year.
Congrats to the missus.

 

At the community garden, we define a marrow as growing on a long vine much like a pumpkin. A courgette grows on a much shorter, almost stalk-like, vine.

The current garden record for a marrow is 5.51kg.

One of our original much beloved members still holds the record for the biggest courgette:

 

For a big marrow you need decent seed from a known, reliable seller which costs around £10 for 5 seeds.

For each plant rotorvate an area about 8 x 20 feet, dig a big pit back a bit from one end and fill with well rotten compost/manure. Work BF&B, etc. in the area in front of the pit. Sow under cover, pot on and plant the young marrows out in early June, adding mycorrhizal fungi to the planting hole. Mine would be in at least 2L pots when planted out. Protect for a couple of weeks with a cloche and slug pellets.

As the main stem grows (best orientated towards South) bury it so roots form at each leaf joint. Every so often, use small canes to form a X to hold the stem down to prevent wind damage from lifting. Consider a low wind break to protect the bed. Also bury all the side stems. Keep well watered and fed. Some rear side stems might need to come round the back of the plant.

Remove the first female flowers close to the planting station. Leave those further along the plant that will be ready for pollination about 7/8 weeks before your show. If you want to save your own seed cover (or tie) male and female flowers the day before they open. Around mid morning the next day pollinate chosen female flower, preferably with a male from another plant. Cover the pollinated flower for a couple of days. You may wish to pollinate another one as a backup.

I then put a small sheet of corrugated plastic under the pollinated flower and tie on a seed label marked to show what plant it was pollinated with. Start training any leaf stems that might cause damage away from the young marrow. At around 12" long I place a sheet of expanded polystyrene under the marrow (to keep it cosy) and cover with a piece of cloth (to slow down hardening of the skin).

Continue with the watering and feeding. To check progress I leave a plastic tape measure under each marrow to avoid the need to lift the marrow every time and keep another to measure their lengths in my pocket. If one that's too small stops growing and there's still time left, let the backup take over and off to the kitchen with the first one. I multiply the length in inches by the av. girth in inches by 0.04 lbs to get an estimate of their weights without cutting [1].









Off to the show!




[1] The marrow in image 3 was 36" long x about 28" girth = 1,008 sq. Inches. x 0.04 lbs/ sq inch = 40 lbs

 

Bush marrows have been around for 50yrs to my knowledge.
And longer.

 

Excellent write-up and fantastic results, Scrungee.

I will be mining it in preparation for next year's attempt at growing one myself.

 

Aren't bush marrows called courgettes, though?

 

No!!!!
They were marrows when I started growing them as a kid in the 60s.
Nobody round here had even heard of a courgette back then.

Long green bush, it's a marrow

 

@Scrungee
That's a great description but 8'x20' is half my garden.
Love your crop , one of those would last me a 3 monthsso I'll have a rethink, maybe LGBush would be best in my situation.
I'm enjoying the replies