Topic: Favourite Squashes?

[Jitterbug]

I absolutely adore Hubbard Squash - green skinned (seed from South Africa).   Also the gem squash (rolet) and butternut.  Yummy

 I swopped some of the hubbard squash and gem squash seeds with a couple of people on the board and would love to know how they have found these two.  I have grown my hubbard and gem squash up a trellis and the gems have done very well - about 8 picked and eaten already but the hubbard squash - only one fair size and the rest start swelling and then seem to rot.  I do see tonight that there are several flowers again - so maybe I will be lucky and get another one before the weather starts turning.  I think my neighbour thinks I'm mad with these things having on the trellis!!  I'm Sure he thinks - these foreigners!!

In South Africa we tend to eat a lot of pumpkin.  That is one think that I have really missed out here - no hubbard or gem squash readily available.  I once found some at a local store and almost went wild with delight.  I scooped them all up and only once I got home did I realise that I had forgotten to buy what I had originally set out for  :-[

I will however try and get some seed for cobnut and I have seed that I have saved from shop bought butternuts which say they were grown in SA - but then who knows these things for sure.  Also going over to SA for Xmas and will be hitting the nurseries to get some seed I cannot get here like soup celery.  Thinner stalks than the usual stuff I see in the shops.  I also miss white corn - called mielies in SA.  But I must admit I tasted freshly picked corn off a friends allotment earlier this week and these were absolutely fantastic!! :o

Jitterbug

[Merry Tiller]

Agree, Hubbard & Little Gem for me

[Tinkie_Bear]

I am a butternut fan, I brought one the other day and sliced some of it up and chucked it in the chip pan with some spuds, topped with some rearly strong cheddar, WOW, if I wasn't so full of pizza I would make some more now !!

[Jitterbug]

biscombe and tinkie bear - thanks for the ideas on cooking butternut.  DH not so keen on it - says it is too sweet so I am going to go the chilli route as he is a vindaloo man.  Nothings too  hot for him.  Maybe I can get him to like them after all ;D ;D  ;)

Jitterbug

[carloso]

for the first time we have squashes ever ,

i grew Dawn squash - Spegetti squash and somthing else that has grown !

all will be grown next yr what an excellent bit of veg !!!

[cherry]

Anybody grown Turks Turban?    I have for the first time and have about 1/2 doz of various sizes.    How do you know when they are ready and any ideas for cooking them.

[supersprout]

Oh TT are a lovely squash! Let them carry on growing til ripe (hard skin, tough brown stalk), harvest and let 'ripen' and they will last over winter. Use like any squash - they are the sweet and mealy sort, like butternut :D

[cherry]

Thanks for that Supersprout.    The butternuts that I have are still throwing out male flowers so I doubt I'll get any of them this year. :(

[dingerbell]

I can't believe how prolific my Butternuts are this year. I have 4 plants trained up a network of wires with a total of 25 large fruits with more on the way. I pinched the growing tips out this week-end and removed some of the foliage to help them ripen. I have one weird fruit which is Siamese Twins. I'll get a photo and post it....very funny looking. My other Winter Squash have only produced 3-4 fruits per vine. Can't wait to start roasting some for tea... ;D