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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Dandytown on October 26, 2011, 08:48:45
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Here are my thoughts on this years crop grown in my patch. Plants will produce different results in other patches/conditions so tastes could be different. My crop was also picked a little sooner as I needed to clear the vines to slow dwn the spread of powdery mildew to my AG plant.
Yes:
Bon Bon - nice sweet orange flesh and not too big - top of my list!
Tuffy Sweet -nice sweet orange flesh but not as sweet as Bon Bon, perfect for individual servings straight from the pumpkin by halving and cooking in the microwave.
Hooligan - perfectly sized for a snack, cooked as per tuffy sweet above. Nice and sweet
Black Futsu - I have only grown one and I had it before maturity but it tasted perfect. Not sweet. Had a creamy and slightly nutty flavour. Complex flavours.
No:
Thelma Sanders - pale fleshed variety, bigger than tuffy sweet but not very much flavour
Patty Pan Squashes - Quite bland in comparison to the courgette I grew (Black Beauty) which was delicious
Still to be decided are Spaghetti Squash and Uchiki Kuri as I have not cooked them yet
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I grew Black Futsu (thanks goodlife!) and they were great, very prolific fruiters! But I haven't eaten any yet! Actually they are so hard I am unsure as to how to open them!!!!
I am sure you will like the Uchiki Kuri, they are wonderful pumpkins, I am going to try them next year.
I grew QLD Blue this year, my favourites. Great keepers, and unbeatable flavour.
I tried Hooligans last year and was unimpressed. I would like to do butternuts again, I might try Waltham next year. Harriers are good though, so I am undecided!
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I will grow again
Bon Bon.......good flavour nice size.
Honey Bear
Sweet Dumpling
Hooligan
All of the above are small ones. I used to grow huge squashes but found them impractical for the two of us.
Will not grow....
Golden Hubbard...I love the flavour but only got one on the plant. this is my second year of trying hub bards with the same poor yield.
Dont know yet.......
Pumpkin Windsor...It's a container suitable little pumpkin. Never grown it before so will have to report back.
Duke
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"Confection"- a small green fruit a reasonable size for two plus left-overs, deep orange inside and tastes like sweet potatotes- second year growing these.
Can't report on my new trials yet because letting them age a bit ( one is "Pennsylvania Crookneck" which are HUGE which means freezing some after cutting one open (not my favorite thing to do)
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I am really pleased with Kamokamo. Lots of fruits. Haven't tasted it yet though. Very attractive fruit. Seems I should have eaten some small like courgettes, though they are round and ribbed.
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Crown Prince
Marina (?) D' Choggia
Vif Rouge D'Etampes
Muscade
In terms of taste and productivity... :)
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I've only just cut into my first squash of the season..its 'banana' sort..not the pink banana, the other one..(forgot the name)...and nice one it is indeed.. ;D I've used it as carrot replacement in stir fry...and rest of it I'm going to roast tonight.
I do like Black Futsu..but mine didn't perform this year. Instead I have loads of Thelma Sanders...I do hope they are better than Dandytown rates it... :-\
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Uchiki Kuri is my favourite and it actually has time to ripen in these Northern climes unlike some of its larger siblings where it's touch and go depending on the weather.
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These are some of Callum's jack o' lantern this year,seeds courtesy of Jeannine, he wants to grow an atlantic giant next year ;D
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I liked my Uchiki Kuri, just the right size for two of us and good flavour.
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These are some of Callum's jack o' lantern this year,seeds courtesy of Jeannine, he wants to grow an atlantic giant next year ;D
Good job, Callum! And we especially appreciate when the model's shirt is coordinated with his pumpkin :)
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These are some of Callum's jack o' lantern this year,seeds courtesy of Jeannine, he wants to grow an atlantic giant next year ;D
Good job, Callum! And we especially appreciate when the model's shirt is coordinated with his pumpkin :)
I rather think it's my camera on the blink ;D
I will be growing more of Jeannine's squash seed next year, I'm making space ;D
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I also love uchiki kuri for flavour, grilled mmmm. :-*
Marina di chioggia too. Grilled with rosemary and salt sprinkled on (got that idea off someone on here :) )
Galeux d'eysines is fragrant and light-tasting
My black futsu stayed tiny and I didn't like the flavour grilled. Bit of bitter aftertaste for us.
Although my rugosa friulana courgettes did rubbish this year i'll try them next year as i love the flavour.
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Crown Prince
Marina (?) D' Choggia
Vif Rouge D'Etampes
Muscade
In terms of taste and productivity... :)
Got to go with that list!
I've yet to try any of the new ones this year, like Black Futsu, Kikuza, Anna swartz hubbard, Green Stripped Cushaw or australian Butter (thank you Jeannine for the last one :) ). So the jury is still out around here.
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I have gradually narrowed it down over the years, definite favourites are:
Vif Rouge D'Etampes: 'Cinderalla's coach' shaped pumpkin. Reliable and very pretty. Buy from Franchi, you get a huge packet of seeds that will last for years.
Baby bear: small 1-2 kg sized pumpkin, I get a huge crop and they all seem to be reliably the same size, ideal for 'normal sized' portions of soup rather than having to make gallons at a time!. I tried these from one of Jeanine's seed swaps and now grow them every year. The do like to run a bit though! Good for growing under taller crops like sweetcorn.
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GemSquash (rolet) - the absolute best squash there is!! Honest!! ;D
Courgette - Lebanese - the best tasting courgette there is.
Courgette - round type
Hubbard Squash - going to try here in the UK.. We grew a lot in Zimbabwe..
Honey Bear - a good solid small squash with good taste
Butternut - great taste and versatile
Cant wait for my new allotment to be up and running - getting there slowly but surely. Hopefully all beds will be dug and ready by the planting time..
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GemSquash (rolet) - the absolute best squash there is!! Honest!! ;D
Courgette - Lebanese - the best tasting courgette there is.
Courgette - round type
Hubbard Squash - going to try here in the UK.. We grew a lot in Zimbabwe..
Honey Bear - a good solid small squash with good taste
Butternut - great taste and versatile
What exactly does GemSquash have that puts it above others in your opinion" Is it a winter squash?
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I grew Rolet last year and would not bother again. Yes, I know that it is popular in South Africa but I do not rate it for the following reasons. The fruits have very little usable flesh, poor taste, stringy and low sweetness. I was using it as a Winter squash and it did store well, changes colour from dark green to orange in store. But why bother as there are ones which are so much better in our climate. I suspect that it might be better used as a Summer Squash and stuffed with a savoury filling such as mince or something similar.
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Atlantic giant
spaghetti squash
hubbard
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GemSquash are a summer squash... at them young to medium age and they are delicious. When they have gone yellow they are stringy..
Cut in half, biol for 10-15 minutes, mix in butter, salt & pepper.. delicious.. the whole squash can be eaten.. skin, seeds and all - just leave the stem piece...
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I love Marina di Chioggia & grow that every year - it has a lovely chestnutty flavour.
Tromboncino Squash which is very tasty.
And butternuts - though mine all failed this year.
In fact, all my pumpkins & squashes struggled.
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Uchiki Kuri seems to be very popular. I will be growing that. Honey bear is nice too and its not too much of a wanderer. I will of course be growing Harrier as it proved to be much better than Waltham this year
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Uchi kuri, hooligan, potimarron are favourites here :)
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My black futsu stayed tiny and I didn't like the flavour grilled. Bit of bitter aftertaste for us.
:-\ Thinking about it, I don't think they were actually futsu - they look just like buttercup squash 'emerald' and they were bush squash, which futsu aren't. So somehow something weird happened from swapped seed. There were also two small fuzzy vines which never managed to fruit, I think they might have been proper futsu.
So now I don't know whether want to grow futsu again, but I know I don't want to grow bush buttercup again! ;D
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Hooligan was too sweet for my taste so its back to the old favourite (for giving away to pumpkin eating friends as well) Crown Prince.
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I would grow again:
Uchiki Kuri - really pretty, lovely flavour, managed to grow this year even though none of the others did :'(
Acorn - did really well last year, good flavour and kept for ages.
Butternut - the ones time I got a fully grown ripe crop they were delicious. Just got one teeny one this year. Going to try Hunter next year as they are said to ripen much more quickly.
Have also got Honey Bear to try next year, and want to try Crown Prince, Sunshine, Blue Hubbard...etc etc...and all the others.
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I will try butternut squash again as I managed to get 8 fruit this year from 10 plants compared to 1 fruit from 12 plants previously.
I have never grown any other squash / pumpkins other than to carve for haloween. Ain't got a clue how to cook them or what to eat them with.
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Well they can make nice soups or just boiled and mashed. But I keep going back to our favourite of rubbing a bit of oil on slices and grilling them. Really nice.
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Adds bulk to sauces, casseroles and curry's as absorbs the flavours of other spices.
Especially useful for the carving halloween type pumpkins which have not always got the same flavour as the squashes and butternuts.
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Uchiki Kuri. Good flavour, I have the space and it keeps very well.
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They do all have quite different flavours - some are light and peachy (galeux d'Eysines), some are sweet and nutty (uchiki kuri)...
I have got a few this year which I think are emerald buttercup and they're a bit rancid :P. ;D I tried putting them in a soup this evening and I think I ruined a good soup ::) ;D
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Uchiki Kuri for taste and quantity and Crown Prince for flavour.Both do well here in the north east
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Definitely Delicata.
We prefer it to butternuts now. I don't know how it will store but that isn't going to be a problem because they will all be eaten soon!
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I had Long Island Cheese over weekend...and REALLY liked it..not too sweet, not too dry but still plenty of flavour and just right size for the good size meal for two (in this case two for me ;D) I cut lid off, removed seeds and filled it with spicy rice mixture, thingy of butter and bit of cheese...lid back on and cooked in oven as it was...YUUUUM.
Today I'm going to do same again with different squash and cous cous filling.. ;D Hmmm..what squash should I pick this time, choises choises.. ;D OH is not overly keen so more for MEEE!
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I just 'destroyed' one Galeux d'Eysines squash..prepared same way as the Long Island Cheese (see the last message)..and how different it was...and not suitable at all for oven roasting in whole.
Taste was light and delicious...but texture was soooo different to the LIC, which was soft and spoonable with quite short cooking time. Galeux..kept its bite until it was almost over cooked and took much longer to soften up..next time I would use it cut up in risotto or any other dish where I need it to hold the 'shape'...maybe spicy wedges..
Good thing was...Galeux I could eat the whole lot in one go..it was light..where as LIC was sooo filling, could only manage just about half of it in one sitting and then I was stuffed..and both squashes were about same size.
I would still grow Galeux again..taste was nice..just needs to be used differently..
Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato is in next in queue... ;)
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Well, I am a little upset now as I only have one Bon Bon left.
I roasted the rest on about gas mark 4 with a little olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. So tasty but I have a year to wait before I can enjoy again.
I will try this test with the uchiki kuri and tuffy sweet for comparison but as goodlife mentioned some need to be cooked in different ways.
However, thelma sanders and spaghetti squash are probably not suited to my taste buds. I found them bland but doesnt mean they will not be good for someone else. i have a sweettooth you see ;D
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We just enjoyed a roasted combo of red new potatoes, red onions and butternut squash all of them slathered in olive oil, crushed garlic and crushed rosemary. Tasty and smells wonderful. Leftovers went in soup. I wasn't sure about how squash with garlic would taste but it worked well together.
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Always blue hubbards for me, taste great and store really well. Blue Ballet is similar but smaller.
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However, thelma sanders and spaghetti squash are probably not suited to my taste buds. I found them bland but doesnt mean they will not be good for someone else.
Well..first TS squash is tested now... :-\..and I have to agree with Dandytown...they are soooo bland. I prepared it same as other squashes last few weeks..oven roasted with savoury rice filling. The texture was nice..it cooked into soft pulp but still holding the shape, so ideal to as a 'dish' with filling.
It has definate squash flavour..but hardly any sweetness...the pale colour sort of describes the taste.. ::)
I propably eat rest of of them cooked same way but next time with really spicy filling..at least then there is something flavoursome to eat.
But I think I'm not in hurry to grow them again in near future.....this variety is not for me. :(
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We and some dinner company tried a Pennsylvania Crookneck winter squash last night, roasted in chunks with olive oil, rosemary and new potatoes. It had less flavor by far than Butternuts that had hung a year. On the other hand the texture was smooth which is probably why they are favored for pies. I'll be making some pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving out of them. They are large, this one about 8 lbs, which will be making quite a few more meals for the two of us.
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quote author=goodlife link=topic=69928.msg714291#msg714291 date=1321177746]
However, thelma sanders and spaghetti squash are probably not suited to my taste buds. I found them bland but doesnt mean they will not be good for someone else.
Well..first TS squash is tested now... :-\..and I have to agree with Dandytown...they are soooo bland. [/quote]
Thanks for that comparison Goodlife,
I tried the uchiki kuri by roasting with a little oil and salt and I would have liked it a little more if I did not have the bon bon to compare it too.
For 2012 I will only be growing as many plants as I can of just Black Futsu and Bon Bon as these pumpkins taste delicious by themselves which is my preferred way to eat them.
Sadly that means I will not be involved in another squash swap :(
[
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Well...I've got another one for my 'must grow again' list..Red Warty Thing.
It is not heavy fleshed..and just right amount of sweetness for my liking.
Only trouble is that it is hard job to cut through...and those squashes that I have are quite large so I've got loads to eat...blessing or not.. :-\
I lost my patience with one today..I took ages to get wedge out of it..so by the time the wedge was out..I just hacked it into large chunks..brushed the chunks with oil..sprinkle of salt and pepper and into oven to roast...but they were looooovely.. ;D Same again tomorrow with few sausages... ;D Even OH, who is not fan of squashes enjoyed his share.. :o
RWT is not strong tasting one..well the one I've eaten wasn't..so perharps is best just simply roasted as cooked into food the flavour will be lost amongst other flavours.
And none of mine had warty skin as such..not like in photos...their skin just look like bad case of acne.. :-X ;D
I've got now loads of seeds drying out..so hopefully I shall enjoy RWT again next year..
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I'm quite impressed with blue banana - smallish for me (probably neglect helped) - delicata size but more pointy - seem to keep well, very good grated as coleslaw - one fruit makes 3 double portions so we can use it all in a week (before it goes off).
I did get a bit of variation last year but the ones that were green instead of blue were actually just as good & sweet with slightly tenderer, crunchier flesh. I tried to grow the green ones on this year but the seed failed.
Cheers.
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We roasted both Kikuzu and Butternut the other night for a comparison taste.
Kikuzu was lovely and more of a custard texture with a gentle sweet flavor. I liked it the best.
Not sure how well it will store compared to butternuts. Also they weren't as productive as butternuts which makes it a difficult choice.
I just read on an American site about Seminole which is supposed to be very productive and can last two years in storage. Has anyone tried Seminole?
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I was impressed with Blue Banana too. We had four plants and they produced some huge fruits. I have five cured and we ate and gave away four. You have to be a bit creative though to use all that flesh. I go for a curry, soup, puree to freeze for pies, and a risotto. So each time I use one I get several meals.
Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato was prolific also but a smaller squash that will do one curry or risotto. We popped some in with a roast and it was quite nice. I have a few stored for future use.
Sucrine Du Berry produced a few fruits but did not cure that well so I am using it first. The flesh smells like a melon and is very nice without needing to flavour with spices.
Uchiki Kuri produced one fruit that is cured for later on.
We have been trying different squashes each year and noting our favourites. I do like the smell and flavour of the french varieties but they never seem to cure that well with our autumns.
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I have started to eat the Black Futsus, except - they are no longer black! In storage they have turned a rich terracotta colour! very odd. The flavour is outstanding, a fairly dry flesh which I like. Excellent as mashed pumpkin. I will try making little "duchess pumpkins" out of them for Christmas!
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Almost all pumpkins turn shades of orange as they ripen... irrespective of original skin colour... they grey blue Crown Prince for instance.. :)
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I like the buttercup/kaboucha squash....dark green with silver stripes. I grew Cha Cha from King's this year and was very pleased with the results but not pleased with the thief who stole the 5 biggest ones.
Having said that I was impressed that the smaller ones had good flavour usually they seem to need to reach a certain size before the flavour and texture is right.
I mostly roast my squash with rosemary and garlic; make soup again with garlic and coriander but other herbs work and so does nutmeg. Also delicious mashed with some butter after being steamed. Kaboucha squash has a 'mealy' texture and doesn't usually require any thickening agent when making soup. I usually saute an onion until soft add garlic then cooked (steamed or roasted and peeled) Kaboucha squash and vegetable or chicken stock (good quality) cook for awhile to soften then mash and blend with hand blender and reheat while you clean the orange of your kitchen walls ;D
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Yesterday I made some soup out of a golden Hubbard squash. I have never grown it before so I am pleased to report that the the flavour is excellent. However it only produced two squashes per plant. I will try it again next year to see if it will produce more.
Duke