Zucchini grows on a dense, non-climbing plant that can be recognized by its large, dark green leaves with silvery-gray veins.
It is they who provide the fruits with the shade they so desire, and along with it, hide the fruits from the absent-minded gaze of the summer resident.
This means that one minute you have tiny zucchinis, and the next you have giant ones with hard seeds and skins and therefore not much of a flavour.
Here is the answer to the question why zucchini harvesting should be done on a regular basis – otherwise they will become too big.
The optimal diameter of fruits that are planned to be used for food is 10-12 centimeters.
If you want to make preserves from zucchini, the diameter is even smaller - 8 centimeters. You won't need to peel such young zucchini when cooking, it is removed only from overgrown fruits.
In addition to the differences in taste between young and overripe zucchini, regular harvesting is necessary for another reason.
Uneven harvesting of zucchini from bushes slows down the formation of new ovaries, which means that the harvested crop will not be so impressive.
