Best way to use Squash

[Mikeakabigman]

Hi folks, I was given some seed of a Squash, F1 Polo, they are doing quite well, but having never grown them before, I have no idea what to do with them. I'm presuming they will store ? Suggestions would be very welcome.

[Mikeakabigman]

[lottie lou]

They look very much like Pattinson squash or better known as patty pan squash to me.  They don't store although they can grow biggish and stuffed I reckon they are best picked small and used like courgettes.  I like them picked very small about an inch across, steamed and eated with butter, salt and pepper.  Delish.

[Mikeakabigman]

Thanks lottie lou, I'll pick some straight away and cook em. :-)

[antipodes]

yes I agree with Lotty lou, squash that shape are patty pans. Don't let them get too big or they go hard and tasteless. I rarely pick them over 8cm wide. They are extremely prolific fruiters however and the more you pick the more they give. Slice and cook as you would a courgette.

[Mikeakabigman]

Cheers antipodes, I'd better get down the plots and start picking, for some peculiar reason I though they were supposed to get large ! Ya live and learn LOL

[pumkinlover]

Cheers antipodes, I'd better get down the plots and start picking, for some peculiar reason I though they were supposed to get large ! Ya live and learn LOL

LOL! No definitely not supposed to be flying saucer size!

[Mikeakabigman]

Cheers antipodes, I'd better get down the plots and start picking, for some peculiar reason I though they were supposed to get large ! Ya live and learn LOL

LOL! No definitely not supposed to be flying saucer size!

He he!........ I cut all the spaceship sized ones off this evening, there are plenty more developing so no harm done.   

[Vinlander]

My favourite way to use baby squash or pumpkin  is as battered fritters/tempura - the baby pumpkins especially have an extra nutty taste - much better than courgettes.

My favourite way to use ripe or nearly-ripe pumpkin is grated raw as coleslaw (with or without the cole) - so it's worth trying your middling squash in this way too - though the really big patties tend to be too tasteless.

Cheers.

[grannyjanny]

I bought some tiny stuffed patti pans. They had cream cheese in the centres & were very nice.

[antipodes]

Yes I was going to say that you can use them when they get so big but they tend to have no taste. But you can peel them like pumpkin, grate the flesh and use it in cakes if you feel inclined, or mix with grated potatoes and make "rostis" (potato fritters).
In France, these types are relatively unknown, and every time I see them, the growers have let them get huge. But they have no flavour when they get that big! So no wonder people think they are rubbish. A plot neighbour said to me that he had one growing and he was surprised (but pleased) when I showed him the size to harvest at. He thought they should be picked big and hard.
Funnily enough, squash like that is very popular in Australia, you can buy it throughout most of the year there, and usually very small, picked when only a few centimetres across. And we do actually just call it "squash", we only use that word to refer to the patty pan squash:we call courgettes "zucchini", any hard winter squash is pumpkin, and a butternut is a butternut pumpkin (these are widely grown in Oz)!!! Just to be really confusing.
If you have chooks, or a neighbour has some, they might like them chopped up!

[Mikeakabigman]

Thanks for all the replies everyone, we have tried both the bigger ones and the small ones baked so far and they are really nice, we will be trying  other suggestions as time goes on.