Author Topic: Tastes of different Winter Squash (Read 15145 times)

realfood · « **Reply #20 on:** November 15, 2009, 21:41:50 »

I see that I still have some posts to answer.
The key to growing Winter squash this far North in a cool Summer climate, is to sow early and plant out early June with cloche protection for the first month, until they start to flower.
Have a look on my web site under Winter squash for the details of my method.
Pink Banana fruited using the above method, but it is one of the more difficult varieties requiring longer to mature. The plants seemed to be robust.
I grew Cornell Bush delicata but only got one fruit with difficulty. It hated the very wet August we had. I have tried Sweet Dumpling in previous years with no success.
For the North of the UK, it is important to try varieties that have a shorter time to reach maturity. This list from Cornell University is a good start for information on time to maturity. http://vegvariety.cce.cornell.edu/mainSearch/showAll.php?ID=54&sortBy=overallrating&order=DESC&searchIn=1

Jeannine · « **Reply #21 on:** November 17, 2009, 05:06:30 »

Hi Earlypea, I grew many of the blues in Yorkshire just steer clear of the very big ones, they were fine there except when we had a very wet summer and the growing season was short. The delicata family were never a problem for me

I do start mine very early and move them on to big pots( gallon size at least) so by the time they go out they are really strong and well ahead. Also sometimes I would black plastic the soil a couple of weeks before and plant through .

Chrisscross.. Ha ha,no I didn't write the Compleat Squash but I do highly reccommend it bearing in mind that Amy Goldman who did write it has acres of land,unlimited space, lights etc and does not have to contend with the UK weather,so it is not always possible to follow her growing advice, but the book is an excellent read with some super photography.

XX Jeannine

chriscross1966 · « **Reply #22 on:** November 17, 2009, 13:55:27 »

Quote from: Jeannine on November 17, 2009, 05:06:30

Chrisscross.. Ha ha,no I didn't write the Compleat Squash but I do highly reccommend it bearing in mind that Amy Goldman who did write it has acres of land,unlimited space, lights etc and does not have to contend with the UK weather,so it is not always possible to follow her growing advice, but the book is an excellent read with some super photography.

XX Jeannine

... you left off that she's stark staring buggo about squash too :D. UK weaterh (certainly where I am) isn't topo bad for squash, last frost early May First frost late October/early November .... every year we tend to get one rubbish month, one good month adn two OK months in the summer, so it's only late-season stuff like Butternuts that we're left praying on... by september I knoew I had a good crop of everything bar butternuts and a decent September brought those in.... I doubt I'll grow butternuts again and I'll be experimenting with a bunch of others next year, keeping Winter Festival as the one from this year that did well....

chrisc

realfood · « **Reply #23 on:** November 30, 2009, 19:27:53 »

I have carried out a further taste test using my last 1 year old, wrinkled butternut Harrier, Fairy and Uchiki Kuri.
Harrier was still sweet and tasty with dryish flesh, Uchiki Kuri not as sweet but tasty moist flesh, Fairy very average taste with watery flesh.
Fairy is actually quite large, slow to set fruit and rambles for 4 or 5 m, and I do not think that I will grow it again as there are better squashes.

Jeannine · « **Reply #24 on:** December 02, 2009, 15:53:14 »

Chris cross, I have never been fond of the Butternuts but I think they were the first to find there way to the UK so they became popular.When I lived in Yorkshire I managed to grow almost all of the squash that I planted unless the season was bad, My personal belief is that they really want to grow and given the correct needs..they will.

XX Jeannine

shirlton · « **Reply #25 on:** December 02, 2009, 16:15:03 »

I used one of the red kuri last week half in acasserole and the other half in soup. Both were delicious. I do like butternut roasted .

Digeroo · « **Reply #26 on:** December 02, 2009, 16:22:08 »

Just eaten a Tondo Padana. Very nice. Lasted most of a week.

chriscross1966 · « **Reply #27 on:** December 03, 2009, 03:32:37 »

Quote from: Jeannine on December 02, 2009, 15:53:14

Chris cross, I have never been fond of the Butternuts but I think they were the first to find there way to the UK so they became popular.When I lived in Yorkshire I managed to grow almost all of the squash that I planted unless the season was bad, My personal belief is that they really want to grow and given the correct needs..they will.

XX Jeannine

Yeah, we brits can be an odd combination of adventurous and conservative......try the new thing and then it quickly becomes the unchallenged norm .... I think thats what happened with butternut ....

chrisc

chriscross1966 · « **Reply #28 on:** December 07, 2009, 03:49:05 »

Had a roasted Bon-Bon tonight. One squash made enough to fill an oven tray that pretty much fills the oven shelf it's on ... we ended up eating quite a lot of it so there's less roasted squash soup as a result. Flavour is very good, it's a pretty firm flesh, minimal fibre and it roasts well at gas mark 6/7 having shaken the 1" cubes (or thereabouts) in a bag with some olive oil. It's quite sweet, you'd have no trouble using it in a sweet pumpkin recipe....

Having to reconsider my decision not to grow it next year now.... I wasn't happy with its growth habit, it's an aressively growing trailing vine, though it does climb.... hmm......

chrisc

realfood · « **Reply #29 on:** December 07, 2009, 19:05:11 »

Ate my second Fairy squash today and have to say that it was better than the first one I tried. This time the flesh was moist rather than watery. The reason is probably that this fruit had longer to mature on the vine than the other one that I tried.

realfood · « **Reply #30 on:** January 02, 2010, 20:07:22 »

Today, I did a taste test on Red Kuri and Crown Prince. Crown Prince sweeter with firmer flesh, but Red Kuri had more flavour. Crown Prince has much more useable flesh.

Digeroo · « **Reply #31 on:** January 02, 2010, 21:59:37 »

I grew several different pumpkins and squashes and my favourite tasting one to date is Tondo Padana. Seems to keep well even when cut.

realfood · « **Reply #32 on:** January 03, 2010, 18:19:40 »

Digeroo, I suspect that it would not be suitable for me in the North as it seems to need a long time to grow, but it looks very pretty. How did it compare with the other Winter Squashes for ease of growth?

GrannieAnnie · « **Reply #33 on:** January 03, 2010, 20:30:52 »

After hearing about Amy Goldman's book The Compleat Squash I'd hoped to get one through Amazon. A new copy is $148. and used was still over $100! Needless to say, I'll continue using Jeanine as my reference source! ;D

chriscross1966 · « **Reply #34 on:** January 03, 2010, 21:00:56 »

Quote from: Digeroo on January 02, 2010, 21:59:37

I grew several different pumpkins and squashes and my favourite tasting one to date is Tondo Padana. Seems to keep well even when cut.

Ooh... I'm trying that one next year... probably got the seed from you in fact :D.....Someone grew them on our site this year but had their crop stolen :(

chrisc

Digeroo · « **Reply #35 on:** January 04, 2010, 10:56:25 »

Quote

How did it compare with the other Winter Squashes for ease of growth

I found that Tondo Padana grew very well. I think that each plant only produced one large fruit each and the plants were quite large. I just put in the plants and they rambled about the place. I am planning to grow one up an apple tree next year. But since the Red Kuri only produced one small fruit each. Turks Turban very good grower but fruit quality poor. The odd thing about Tondo Padana is that it seem to be able to hide huge fruits, it was not until autumn that I realised how many huge pumpkins I had. One was hidden in the beans and another couple under the artichokes.

GrannieAnnie · « **Reply #36 on:** January 04, 2010, 12:38:39 »

Someone on their internet blog posted their own squash taste test results: "The two varieties are Marina di Chioggia (green) and Australian Butter Squash. ( pale orange) but after tasting them neither matched for taste the favorites which remain: Buttercup, Butternut, Sunshine and Sweet Meat." Any comments on those?
I've never heard of any except butternuts.

chriscross1966 · « **Reply #37 on:** January 04, 2010, 13:44:25 »

Buttercul is supposed to be very like its derivitive Bon-BOn.... and therefore very nice indeed.... I'd not have thought a MdC was ready yet.... they're a long-storage squash aren't they?.... dunno Sunshine and Sweet Meat.... Winter Festival is very nice IMHO, certainly as good if not better than butternut, and it's way easier to grow

chrisc

realfood · « **Reply #38 on:** January 04, 2010, 20:13:23 »

Sunshine is a hybrid, 3 lb , fairly quick maturing, AAS winner 2004 so is probably good. Available in the UK. Sweet Meat is a very old variety, big and slow to fruit and probably not so suitable for the UK.

GrannieAnnie · « **Reply #39 on:** January 04, 2010, 21:33:45 »

Maybe you've discussed Tahitian Squash before, though I couldn't find it using Search, but on the internet it said Tahitian has the highest sugar level of winter squash. The drawback is it is a huge one, maybe 20 lbs, and therefore maybe not a good one for the UK, but then one post stated a farmer told them after cutting off a chunk you can rehang the remainder and it will "self-heal" and still last in storage. Sounds intriguing.

News:

Author Topic: Tastes of different Winter Squash (Read 15145 times)