Maltese Marrows

Sowing the Seed

Seed for marrow, pumpkins and squashes should be sown early to mid-May under glass or in situ after frost damage is past, not earlier than the end of May, depending on the area.

We find the best plants are obtained by sowing under glass in 10cm pots; two seeds are sown per pot and the weaker seedling is ultimately removed. The seeds should be inserted on edge into the compost. A peaty compost is best with the seedlings kept well watered. Spray the surface with Fruit & Vegtable Disease Control to prevent damping off.

When the seedlings have developed four to six mature leaves the plants can be hardened off prior to planting out. It is important to avoid too much root disturbance when planting out.

Preparation of Soil and Cultivation

A rich well manured soil is needed, mound up to receive the plants. A surface dressing of sulphate of potash, bonemeal and superphosphate can be useful. It is important to use a deeply dug site with plenty of room available for the plants to trail and spread. Plant out the pot grown plants 1.0 ñ 1.25 metres apart on open ground each on a mound of richly manured soil. If the plant is in a small hollow on its mound this helps with watering. If watered regularly the plants will grow fast, particularly after flowering. The soil should be pre-treated against slugs and snails or slug pellets scattered.

When insects are not active it may be necessary to hand pollinate to encourage fruits. As fruits develop they should be kept clear of soil damage by standing them on small mats of plastic materials or sheet glass. As the plants are voracious feeders they should be frequently fed with potash rich liquid feeds but care should be taken not to splash the plant stems to avoid the tendency to rot.

For exhibition purposes the marrows are shown as a matching pair or three of a kind according to the schedule.

Shop marrows are grown by allowing two or three adjacent fruits to develop and pinching out the leader beyond these selected fruits. All other leaders are removed.

In a show the marrow is a 15 point vegetable (with 5 points for condition, 5 points for size, shape or colour and 5 points for uniformity). The Royal Horticultural Society include Squashes and other edible Cucurbits in the same class but most shows just specify marrows. The ideal show marrow is not usually more than 30cm in length. Where marrows are specified in a schedule, Squashes and other Cucurbits can be introduced under the Any Other Vegetable class.

Varieties commonly grown are All Green Bush, Long Green Bush, Long Green Trailing, Tiger Cross, Zebra Cross, Tender and True, Clarita, Early Gem and Table Dainty. The varieties for shows are selected with the show schedule in mind and Table Dainty is popular because a matching pair about 20cm in length can be readily obtained while heavyweight marrows more often occur with the Green Bush or trailing varieties

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Maltese traditions :

Qarabaghli mimli – stuffed marrows

This is one of the recipes most of us are familiar with. Marrows filled with meat or ricotta were part of our childhood; sometimes served in a broth. They are also served cold in some households. In either case, easy to make and truly delicious and heart-warming. We made the ones filled with meat, had some leftover filling which we used to stuff mushrooms with and when we had more leftover filling we cooked it and ate it alone. One of our best dishes yet..
You will need:
Fresh stiff marrows
400 g minced beef
fresh parsley
Mushrooms, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 eggs
Cheddar, grated
Ground pepper to taste

You will need to choose rounded marrows – one stuffed marrow (i.e. two halves) will be enough for one person.
Scoop out the inside carefully (try not to pierce the outer ‘shell’) and set that aside. Do not throw the inside of the marrow out!

You will need to mash this – to make things easier cook it in the microwave for a few minutes, draining the water that comes out if necessary. Mash it up well with a potato masher or fork.

Now brown the onion in the pan and cook your minced meat. Add a bunch of fresh parsley.

While this cooks preheat your oven to 200 degrees.
Grate your cheese finely into a bowl.

Mix your cooked meat with the mushrooms and the insides of the marrow.
Beat the eggs in a bowl and add to the mixture. Stir well.

Place your marrow halves on a baking tray and using a tablespoon stuff them with the filling.

Place them in the oven for about 40 minutes. You may need to lower the temperature if the marrows start browning at the edges before the inside is cooked well.