Topic: Favourite Squashes?

[barkingdog]

I'd be interested to know what are everyone's favourite varieties of winter squash?

bd

[sweet-pea]

So far mine is butternut, but this is the first year that I've grown anything else and I have yet to sample any of the others.  I have 'Marina di chioggi', 'Jaspee de Vendee', 'Delicata', 'Blue Kuri', and 'Trombolino'. 
I did try an unripe Trombolino last weekend roasted but it seemed more watery than the butternuts and had less flavour, but maybe it needed roasting longer, and it might improve as it matures.

[Trevor Holloway]

Haven't got a clue !
Bought two plastic cups of "winter squash" at 50p each as a trial (only eaten butternut once - got the general thumbs down from the rest of the family).
Now have about 10 squashes about 2-3 inches long each.

[Curryandchips]

Crown Prince - boiled with butter added. Not tried Butternut yet, but growing a variant this year - Cobnut. No doubt I will report on it in due time/

[daisymay]

I love butternuts too.

Bought a spaghetti squash in tesco  :-[ yesterday to see what they are like as I am intrigued by them.

[Mrs Ava]

Wouldn't be able to narrow that one down as they all have different characteristics.  The pumpkins are great for carving  ;D and soups, but none of us like pumpkin pie!  The cobnut is lovely - rich dense flesh, great chopped in chunks in a curry, or roasted in the oven with other veggies.  The acorns and kuris make great pasties and are lovely steamed and added to mashed spud to really sweeten them.  Crown Prince is another great soup squash or cut into huge wedges, roasted covered in good olive oil, lashings of salt and pepper, then scoffed in front of the TV in a bowl with a wedge of good crusty home made bread!  YUM! BRING IT ON!!

[robsa]

 I was looking forward to a real squash-fest this Winter having planted:
Marina di Choggia x 1
Blue Kuri x 2
Uchi Kuri x 2
Bon Bon x 2

But each plant has only got one squash on it! I think they suffered during the extended dry period we had.

Is this normal - how many would you expect on each plant?

Robin

[Curryandchips]

Did I know that you had eaten Cobnut EJ? Thank you for giving it the thumbs up. I almost can't wait for autumn ...

My bon bon only has one fruit ...

[Mrs Ava]

You did Curry - we talked about it last year and I said I wanted to save seed from it, but I didn't as I decided I didn't know what I would end up with.  Was a cracker!

[Curryandchips]

EJ, my memory is obviously not that good, much has passed under the bridge since then, but I am glad that I chose well. 4 fruits on the cobnut, not a massive crop, but better than none !

[saddad]

Crown Prince, and it keeps for ever. Not Fester which was a great cropper but lousy eating far too watery.
 ;D

[Emagggie]

First year of squash growing for me,I like roast butternut.so that's what I'm growing. Glad I've only got 2 plants----they're everywhere !(but only 3 fruits so far) Looking around our site, there are some corking looking squash, really fired my interest.

[Squashfan]

Favs are Crown Prince n butternut.  I find the big pumpkins (Atlantic Giant, etc) very watery and not very good for roasting. But squash can be sweet or savoury - I make soup, stuffed cannelloni, and creme caramel from roasted squash. Love it to bits.  :-* I'll have to try cobnut for next year.
This year I'm growing blue banana, burgess vine buttercup, galeuse d'eysines, musquee de provence, northern bush – basically every winter squash/pumpkin in the real seed catalogue!
My results have been variable. I have several little buttercups, a giant blue banana, a big musquee, several butternuts, and a couple of green hokkaido. There's so many vines all over the place at this point, I'm not quite sure how many fruits I have (14 plants). Last year I found two pumpkins I had no idea were growing. And I have a mystery squash growing in my back garden as well. Have to be more careful with compost!  ;D  
I have been watering the beasties just about every day except last weekend when it rained allllll weekend. Bliss....

[redrichwen]

Love butternut, and am trying to grow them this year for the first time.

Not getting very far at all  :( . I don't think i'm getting male and female flowers, cos i have no fruit whatsoever, and now it looks like the slugs are proceeding to chew through every single flower they can find  >:( . I think i'll pull them up in the next few weeks if there's no joy, and think about using the area for some winter sowings.

[supersprout]

Blue Hubbard, Crown Prince, Marina di Chioggia, Honey Boat Delicata at the moment, followed closely by butternut, buttercup, Sibley and sweet dumpling :)

[Emagggie]

Creme Caramel, Sqashfan? Tell me how please. :o

[Biscombe]

Waltham Butternut for me! Stores well (Hanging up in the dark spare room in my old nylons!!) Great taste too, I whizz up some garlic, chilli, honey and olive oil and bake or BBQ getting hungry as we speak!!

[redimp]

Love butternut, and am trying to grow them this year for the first time.

Not getting very far at all  :( . I don't think i'm getting male and female flowers, cos i have no fruit whatsoever, and now it looks like the slugs are proceeding to chew through every single flower they can find  >:( . I think i'll pull them up in the next few weeks if there's no joy, and think about using the area for some winter sowings.

I have good looking plants and plenty of male flowers too - no squashes though - have no idea what I am doing wrong.  My pumpkins are fruiting and my courgettes have finally started and they are all getting the same treatment.

[devonbarbara]

I thought I would try some butternuts, so my hubby can make more roasted butternut soup, but how do I know when they are ready?

I have at least a dozen fruit about 7" long and they are greenish and strippy - which isn't like the ones I brought from the greengrocers they were creamy pale brownish colour - do they chage colour when ready for picking next month? ??? ???

[umshamrock]

The pumpkins are great for carving  ;D and soups, but none of us like pumpkin pie! 

no way! pumpkin pie is my all time favorite food. in fact, pumpkins are the reason i got an allotment. i have to have pumpkins all year! i am especially gutted because mine are doing nothing...

The best squash i have grown so far is pumpkin F1 mars, it's great in a pie. i grew pumpkin hundredweight but it was all watery when cooked.

and hasta la pasta spaghetti squash is good - but the freaky seeds saved from last year's hasta la pasta have produced HUGE crazy spaghetti squash that tastes the same but is more worth it!