How are everyones squashes doing

[saddad]

You can just cut out the manky bit and freeze the flesh in chunks... it can then be roasted/souped at a later date..  :-\

[saddad]

[Deb P]

I've had a pretty decent crop from my small squashes, Baby Boo and Baby Bear have been amazingly prolific so I have loads of small squashes which are useful in the kitchen. The larger ones, not so good, only one Rouge Vif D'Etampes, and not a bad crop of Harrier and Hunter Buttenuts considering they were planted through black plastic on a weedy patch of ground just to cover it really... ;D

[shirlton]

Saddad thats all well and good if you have any room left in yer freezer.We' ve got to the stage now where we have to eat something out of the freezer if we want to put something in. ;D ;D ;D

[earlypea]

You can just cut out the manky bit and freeze the flesh in chunks... it can then be roasted/souped at a later date..  :-\

Cheers Saddad - I didn't know that so it's useful.  I'll have to cut into one of them and see if it's worth saving.

Other thing is, I'm so broke from spending too much time growing squashes (and the rest) and not enough working, that I was planning to give them as Christmas presents to my foodie relatives  ;D :P  Still, I've got a roomful left, but not as impressive looking.....

[earlypea]

 (Queensland Blue) One's still maturing on the trellis, although it has a constant pool of water in the top of it from the rain, so I fear that stem might rot too.

I was wondering whether anyone else had experienced that and what to do?  Should I have made a rain hat for it or something  8) 

[beanie3]

i am gonna ask a stupid question as i didn't realise you could freeze squash......do you have to blanch first?  Do you peel and scoop out the seeds.......told you it was a silly question.  :-[

[tricia]

Yes, peel, scoop out seeds, cube and freeze either first on a tray or directly into freezer bags. I normally freeze into quantities of about one pound to use in soups and stews etc.

Tricia

[1066]

As Tricia say  8)
But having said that I wasn't that impressed by the results of freezing it, but maybe that has more to do with the C****y old freezer of ours! But I guess it's a way of using up large squash and of bulking things out like soups and stews. Probably the reason it hasn't worked that well for me - don't really eat many stews and there is only so much soup I can eat!  ::)

All of which reminds me, I must do a final photo shoot  ;)

[GrannieAnnie]

All of which reminds me, I must do a final photo shoot  ;)

Yes, we want that final photo shoot!

[beanie3]

Thanks.  I know what i will be doing this weekend, i don't half need a bigger freezer though!

[1066]

well I still have a couple of stragglers on the plot but here we go

1st the odds and sods - Blue Ballet, Blue Kuri etc

[attachment=1]

then there is the Blue Room (ausies)  ;) Crown Prince and Queensland Blue

[attachment=2]

next up we have the French Landing  ::) (Muscade De Provence and Rouge Vif D'Etamps

[attachment=3]

and finally the yellows - Sucrine Du Berry and Festivals

[attachment=4]

Well, those should keep us fed over winter! Luckily I have already promised 2 of the larger ones to friends   :)
It will be interesting to see what the new ones (to me) taste like and see what makes it to next years growing list

1066  :)

[Duke Ellington]

WEll done 1066 those are lovely looking squashes :)

Duke :) :D

[GrannieAnnie]

Such an interesting selection, 1066 and the "Squash with Skyline" photos are very artsy!

[tricia]

A wonderful haul - where on earth do you store them all?

Tricia

[shirlton]

Like she said tricia...........the blue room the yellow room and the french landing ;D ;D ;D

[earlypea]

I do love the colour coding 1066, that's exactly how and why I'd choose which to grow (alongside form and texture)  :)

[Squash64]

10,  you are so lucky to have all those windowsills for your squash!  I don't know where to put mine.  At the moment there are some on the kitchen floor and some on the floor in the hall. And I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that there are still lots in my husbands car.  :-[  I'll have to get them in the house today, but where can I put them?

[earlypea]

Same problem here  :-\  they were scattered all over the house, but seemed to be causing offense.  Now we've tasted the Queensland Blue though, they seem a lot more popular  :)

[shirlton]

I will keep some for you Betty. Make sure that you put your name on them though cos the might just get mixed up with mine ;D

[saddad]

Saddad thats all well and good if you have any room left in yer freezer.We' ve got to the stage now where we have to eat something out of the freezer if we want to put something in. ;D ;D ;D

It's getting a bit like that here too Shirl... Spent a good couple of hours bagging the frozen tomato slop to make space for some more boxes... to freeze tomato slop!
Does anybody want a couple of hundred weight of apples? Goig to the Apple Day at Markeaton 24th.. might have a juicer on my Christmas list!!  ::)