Topic: Squashes!

[tricia]

These Sucrene du Berry and Potimarron are the first of my squashes ready for curing now all the foliage has died off and looking very unsightly! They are from the first 4 plants planted outdoors on 9th May under fleece protection. The Sucrene weigh between 859g and 1880g each and the Potimarron a kilo or so each, so along with later sown Butternuts (8 fruit growing well) and another Sucrene in a grow bag with 4 fruit on it I am well supplied for use in all sorts of yummy recipes over the coming winter , with enough for my friendly neighbours too.

It's the first time I've grown Sucrene - hope they store well and are as good as the Barbara which I grew last year. The Barbara is just too big for my one person household so I ended up giving most of them away.

Tricia

[strawberry1]

Tricia, how do you cope with cutting these small orange squashes, I grew some two years ago, cannot remember which ones and they were monstrous to get into. I couldn`t do it, far too hard

[tricia]

With great difficulty! but having arthritic hands I even have difficulty peeling potatoes  . I will probably give those two away  . I really only grew the Potimarron this year because it is such a beautiful colour . When I grew Potimarron last year I had to get a friend to cut them in half for me, which helped. I don't peel butternuts so will probably stick to growing just them next year.

Tricia

[Beersmith]

I used to grow Galeux D'eysines.

Amazingly good flavour, but absolutely huge. I used to cut each one into about six pieces and give them to neighbours and anyone else I could find. Still had more than we could use. I've switched to good flavoured but more compact varieties.

[strawberry1]

I didn`t grow any this year as I have limited space and didn`t fancy them but I know that they are good for me and will store and freeze. I was planning celeriac in a bed in 2018 but it has been tricky to keep them watered and also they don`t freeze, so squash it is and will have to be butternut

[Digeroo]

Mine are on a take over bid.  It is difficult to see what I have got under all the leaves.  I am hoping I have some Tromba d'Albenga,  difficult to know.  They currently have lots of small ones at the end of each stem.   But if the ends rot they do not keep well, it has been rather wet.

I also have a large Barbara, and it is just producing another one.   I grew a Napoli one year and that was enormous.   Might take the big one off with the hope the plant might produce another one, its got another couple of months.   

[DrJohnH]

Mine are on a take over bid.  It is difficult to see what I have got under all the leaves.  I am hoping I have some Tromba d'Albenga,  difficult to know.  They currently have lots of small ones at the end of each stem.   But if the ends rot they do not keep well, it has been rather wet.

I also have a large Barbara, and it is just producing another one.   I grew a Napoli one year and that was enormous.   Might take the big one off with the hope the plant might produce another one, its got another couple of months.   

I saw this today about manic squash... https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/jul/30/megalomaniac-squashes-how-to-keep-them-in-check

Maybe some ideas??

[Digeroo]

I like the description in the article of world domination.   I certainly have some trying. 

[johhnyco15]

here on the sunshine coast squash season is almost over  butternuts are ripe vines are turning brown its been a good year prob around 40 fruits will see me through to around feb

[Obelixx]

Potimarron can be cut easily enough if you have decent sharp knives.    A way round it would be to pierce it to the centre in several places with a sharp skewer and then microwave it for 10 mins or so with a mug of water in there too.   That should soften it enough for you to cut it up for stews or soups or just roasting with spices or herbs or garlic and butter.

[TheEssexYorkshireman]

I've grown spaghetti squashes again this year and have 8 nice large ones. The foliage has died but squashes are still very pale. Should I cut them off and put in the greenhouse to ripen or leave them in situ?

[BarriedaleNick]

I use one of these to get into resistant squash



Best tenner I ever spent.

[DrJohnH]

I use one of these to get into resistant squash



Best tenner I ever spent.

Like my Dad always liked to say "Watch your fingers!" 

[Beersmith]

I've grown spaghetti squashes again this year and have 8 nice large ones. The foliage has died but squashes are still very pale. Should I cut them off and put in the greenhouse to ripen or leave them in situ?

I would check the variety first. Squashes are so variable they can ripen from pink (Galeux D'eysines) to grey/blue (Crown prince), there are types that go deep orange, yellow and numerous other shades. A few extra days outside is unlikely to do much harm.

[antipodes]

If the weather is still warm, and they are not going to be eaten by anything, I tend to leave them until the vine has really started to die off. They still ripen up once you bring them in, and sometimes change colour rather spectacularly, but I feel they do develop better flavour and a thicker skin if you leave them out.
This year we have HUGE butternuts, and a couple of Uchi Kuri (I think that's what the orange potimarron are called) and two large ones that are either Jarrahdales or Marina di Choggia (can't get to them under all the foliage to check it out!). They were growing in the back corner, where it is warm and humid and close to the composting spot, and they seem to love it there. I also have a pattypan in the same area, it is the best I have ever had, huge size and loads of squash growing on it, at least 10 a week. Actually there is the pattypan and a cuke, I thought they were two courgettes but the labels fell off.  I am going to shove loads of muck in the same spot over the winter and put them there again!

[Digeroo]

here on the sunshine coast squash season is almost over 

I took the first big fruit off my Barbara and put it on the window sill to cure.  I now see that I have four or five more small ones forming, so I hope the season is not almost over here.  I have fed the area round the root, and given it most of a wheelbarrow of manure.  The fruits are 3 to 5 metres from the root.  I am hoping for another 6 weeks of growing.  Enough for the fruits to go from four to six inches to a foot long.  Pity they do not swell as fast as the courgettes which fill out in a couple of days. 

Oh dear!! a mix of metres and inches, sends my metric daughter mad!! 

[Obelixx]

Best left to ripen in the sun I reckon but maybe place a brick or some straw or matting underneath to keep it off the soil in the wet?   Spaghetti squashes have always been yellow when ripe for me.

Despite the severe drought we have managed to get some pumpkins - butternuts, a big blue one, a smaller blue on - labels hidden - plus a volunteer butternut near the compost heaps.  I'm hoping all this sunshine will ripen them nicely and give good flavour tho I fear they may a bit dry when cut open.  We'll see.  The soil is certainly fertile enough.

[Digeroo]

I normally leave them to cure on the plant, but Barbara can get very big, and I prefer several smaller fruits to a whopper.  Now the biggest one has gone the smaller ones are beginning to swell.  This warm weather will get them excited.
I am always surprised at just how wet the leaves of the courgettes and squashes are early in the morning.  They seem to be able to suck moisture from the air. 
We might be due some showers tomorrow, and rain on Wednesday.  But is depends on which forecast the met office does not have much rain in prospect.

[Paulh]

Picked my three potimarron this evening - 650 gm, 1 kg and 2 kg - from two plants. There have been more fruit set and aborted, as happens every year. I feel I should get more from them. I perhaps picked them a little early but with the foliage dying down around them, they were becoming more visible and I don't want to lose them. (Our site is open with a public footpath through it!)

It looks like I will have five or six Crown Prince from two plants, which will be a better return. Black Futsu (two plants) is also producing a good number of fruit - I've not grown it before and have read that the lovely lightly ribbed deep green-black fruit change to warty orange when ripe - is that correct?

The butternuts are at last producing fruit, I hope they have time to ripen.

[pumkinlover]

I use one of these to get into resistant squash



Best tenner I ever spent.

Don't walk round the streets carrying it!