Topic: Anyone know what this squash is?

[Squash64]

Someone is growing this on our site.  I asked him what variety is it but he couldn't remember.  The plants look like large courgette plants, and don't have a trailer like most squash/pumpkins. 

[attachment=1]

[attachment=2]

The chap gave me one of them, it weighs 2lb 4oz and the skin seems quite hard.  I haven't cooked it yet so I don't know what it's like inside.

Does anyone recognise it?

[Jeannine]

Not  exactly without more detail,  I could  break it down to a specific family but that is as far as I could get for sure. Is the stem on it hard or soft and is it angled with 5 sides, just round, or slightly angled. Seed colors would tell me too but that means opening it.

It's a winter for sure, it will get sweeter as you store it for a bit so you might want not to rush into eating it. Being bush it cuts down the options.
I will search through my database if you can tell me about the stem.

Leaves are a big help too of you can get one.. Prickly or hairy.. has to be one of the other.

If you want to save seeds, I can get you into the right family with the above info, at least you will know what it will/will not cross with.

I could guess but if you could get me the above info I could get more accurate.

XX Jeannine

[Duke Ellington]

It looks like a summer courgette I have grown called Floridor. Floridor has a hard skin and looks like a winter squash. This looks like a summer squash to me.

Duke

[Digeroo]

Could also be One Ball.  They are round courgettes, best eaten small.

They have something like it on the next but one allotment and it has grown vertically upwards with the fruit on the top.  Sometimes there is more than one ball.   :o

You can get round green ones called Rondo de Nice.  T&M have several round courgettes in their list.

[Jeannine]

I agree, but she said ha a hard skin, hard to me is like a winter squash hard, those types will allow an indentation with a fingernail for sure. So maybe you need to do the nail test to see just how hard they are.

I think it is too orange to be Floridor and more lobed, too big dor one ball XX Jeannine

[.]

 
 Don't know,  but Floridor / One Ball F1 doesn't have that  lacerated leaf type.

 
Will look on the Swiss pumpkin porn site later  ::)

[Digeroo]

What about summer ball

http://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/squash-summer-ball-seeds-pid2573.html

[Jeannine]

Floridore. One Ball and Rond de Nice and 8 ball XX Jeannine

[Duke Ellington]

Ok
The floridor I have grown has a tougher skin than a regular courgette but not as hard as a winter squash.
The floridor I grew definately had the ridges just like the one that Squash64 has. It did start off smooth.
Here is a web link to a seed company of floridor with the ridges. Iam sorry I dont have a picture of the one I grew.

http://www.suffolkherbs.com/kolist/1/VEGETABLES/V-C/COURGETTE/10/V11810.htm

Duke :)

[Jeannine]

It is similar but the ridges are more pronuounced than Floridor and the squash appears more squat.

I thought of the Summer Ball too, another variation of the one ball, 8 ball lot biot the wieight ia all wrong.

Looking at the foliage, it dees have a look of some of the pepo foliage, which all summer squash are, but trouble is it's not consisitent and pepos comes both winter and summer

This is a  picture of pepo foliage but they are not always the same so without the stem picture I can't be sure. I thought it loked vaguely like Gold Rush and the size is better, it could simply be a small pumpkin like Baby Pam, there so many .

[Jeannine]

Comparing all I have done so far I think I am fairly sure it is pepo family which rules out a lot and it does include all the summers and all the true pumpkins ,not the Atlantic Giants  as  crazy as it seems are not classified as true pumpkins.. usually a little lighter in colour than the trues.

The pumkin picture above was for the stalk not the pumpkin

XX Jeannine

[Squash64]

Thanks for all the replies  :)

Jeannine, the stem has five sides and is quite prickly, the 'squash' itself has 10 ridges.  I'll take a photo of it a bit later, it's still dark outside at the moment and I think the photo will be better without the flash.  The skin is so hard that I have to force my nail into it.  I noticed that the more immature fruit on the plant were a lighter colour.

I'll have a look at the leaves when I go over there this morning. 

(It will be funny if the chap has remembered the name!)

[Jeannine]

Pepo species stem has 5 sharply angled sides,(moschata is softly angled) leaves and stems are prickly,not hairy,stem is hard not corky.Seeds are white .


If it passed the finger nail test that rules out all the summer squash and Iwould bet anything it is a pepo species now.

Sounds mature too,(nail test and colour change)

We are getting there, it's becoming a challenge now  ;D

XX Jeannine

[Jeannine]

Pauline  I keep coming back to Table Gold, it all fits except the fact that at the blossom end there may be a pointy bit, It is smetimes very noticeable and others quite subtle but it is there, the one in the picture is quite pronounced

[Jeannine]

I have been reading a bit more about dual purpose varieties there aren't many and for that reason they get overlooked sometimes.. but guess what I found. I think Digeroo may be right, it doesn't say anything in the Marshalls link  that he gave us where it is listed as a summer squash, but the picture haunted me,when I did a bit of searching through my uni stuff ..hey hey guess what I found.

According to the breeders it is classified as a PUMPKIN

SUMMER BUSH  is dual purpose  and I think this is it..well done Didge..

It is a bush...that's correct

It is a pepo..that's correct

The foliage is right..that's correct

It is never green..that's correct

It is ridged..that is correct

Weight at full maturity is about 3 lbs..that is correct

Although a pumpkin .It is used as a summer squash AND  a winter which would account for the hard skin..that's correct.


It doesn't store anywhere near as long as usual pumpkins but it will store for a time.

I think you got it Didge, I would be surprised if not. Serves me right for not looking at duals and presuming it was a winter  squash because of the skin..


What do you think 64!!

Johnny's in the US sell it as a pumpkin/dual too

XX Jeannine

[Squash64]

I think Digeroo's right, it looks exactly like the one in the Marshall's link.  I didn't see the chap yesterday but if he's there today I'll ask him if 'Summer Ball' rings a bell, I'm sure he will remember once I say a variety name.

Sorry I didn't take a photo of the stem yesterday Jeannine, hubby took my camera out with him and came back late.  I did look at the leaves on the plant and they are extremely prickly.

Thanks Jeannine and everyone for your detective work!

I'm going to cook it today, hope it's nice. :)

[Squash64]

I didn't see the chap today but I did take some photos -

[attachment=1]
[attachment=2]
[attachment=3]

It'a in the oven at the moment....

[Digeroo]

I think the one near me is also a summer ball, I had not really noticed before that it was slightly ridged.  Really odd plant growing straight upwards.  Leaves are acting like stablizers.

[Jeannine]

Well done Didge.. looks like an interesting pumpkin..I need to trial  this one. I used to get bulletins about new varieties bit got a bit lax with filing them, I need to check this one out,Thanks Pauline XX Jeannine

[Duke Ellington]

Did it taste good Squash64 ?

Duke