My Business is a Courgette

I had an epiphany today. It was one of those days where all the shit I'd been reading and researching somehow mulched about inside my head and then - made sense! That's when I realised my business is a courgette - or a zucchini if you're so inclined.

I got my first courgette plant last year. It was a tiny, weedy little thing and I nestled it into the "mediterranean" section of my garden (ie. the only bit that got the sun - a rareity in Timaru!). I fed it lots of shit (compost) and watered it and made a little fort out of wooden skewers around the edge of my plant to stop the cats sitting on him. And he just kind of sat there. For ages. Then one day I looked out the window and thought "Who the hell put that bloody great heap of leaves in the garden where my spindly little courgette used to be?". After a quick phone call to mum to confirm what an adult courgette plant looked like I ran outside and excitedly watered my plant. Two more phone calls to mum later to determine where the courgettes grow (above the ground, behind the orange flowers) I ran back out and noticed I had three little courgettes on the way!

After that there was no stopping my courgette. It overran the garden. Fighting the tomatoes for space and producing courgettes every day. I didn't have to fight off cats, or shovel on compost or water it every 10 minutes. It was flourishing on it's own and all I had to do was dig out the chutney recipes and reap the rewards.

Which is where my courgette takes me to network marketing. At first you have a tiny spindle of opportunity. You get a lot of shit thrown in your direction but if you keep feeding the right shit into your business and nurture it and protect it from marauding cat bottoms then one day it will burst into life and you'll be able reap the rewards.

Courgette Chutney

1 kg courgettes

Chuck through a food processor, cover in salt and leave overnight then rinse thoroghly in a colander and swing about the kitchin in a clean tea towel to dry (It's called degourging and reduces the water content. The tea towel bit is just to scare your flatmates...)

750g onions also diced in the food processor
2 red peppers or 2 tomatoes diced

Throw into a pan:

1-2 t mustard
2 Cups sugar
2 Cups cider vinegar
1T mustard seeds
2t celery seeds
1 1/2 t tumeric

Bring to a boil and chuck in the veges with a cup of sultanas if you fancy
Simmer for half an hour
Thicken with 2 T of cornflour mixed with a little cold water
Boil 5 minutes
Biff into glass jars which have been sterilised in a 180 degreee oven for 10 minutes

Eat with far too much good quality cheddar cheese and even more red wine...