My first year lottie has been a runaway success (a miracle even!) but I'm now looking ahead to next year and slightly modifying my planting regime (this year was plant anything I could lay my hands on and hope for the best) ;D
I have a specific question relating to winter squash. This year's squash harvest has been magnificent (probably the 2 tons of farmyard doodoo helped) The only problem is the variety I planted (don't ask, I was given some seedlings by a well meaning old chap who didn't know either) they are all about 5lb in weight with skin tougher than rhino hide. Next year I would like to plant a variety that yields smaller fruit with great taste and good keeping qualities.
Any suggestions? The advice and support from this site has been soooo helpful this year, I'm now a real grow it yourself evangelist :)
I have grown Avalon this year, not eated any as yet so cant comment on taste. The fruits have ranged in size from about a pound up to about 5. Most are still on the vine but will probably be harvested in the next two weeks.
Jerry
I always have to grow butternut, we love them and they store well!
The Organic Gardening catalogue (which I can't seem to get into at the moment) have a good selection and good write ups on them.
Deffinitely butternut. Have got some great recipes ;D
They need LOTS of room though, mine have gone totally mad and taken over nearly 25% of the whole plot!!! :o
Would be interested in some of your reci[pies by the way!
Jerry
We grow butternuts too - seem to grow well despite us not giving them enough room, enough water, any food at all and of course they store well for most of the winter - you could also try growing a small variety of pumpkin - which are after all a variety of squash - tend to ripen a little earlier than squashes too so are more reliable if we have a lousy summer!
www.astray.com/recipes/?search=squash
;)
Hi all, :D
For a smallish squash I would recommend winter festival (sometimes just listed as festival) I had 4 plants & each one produced at least 6 fruits, all between 700gms & 1.25 kilos. They are quite tasty & are supposed to keep through the winter. The seeds are in T & M`s catologue.
Adrian.
Quote from: flowerlady on October 07, 2005, 10:54:57
They need LOTS of room though, mine have gone totally mad and taken over nearly 25% of the whole plot!!! :o
Flowerlady why don't you try growing them up a frame, they take up less space that way ;D (been growing mine upwards for years!
DP, is that the butternuts that you grow up a frame? If so well defo try it next year.
Doris>> what do you use as a frame? i'd love to grow a pumpkin arch but i'm worried about holding the weight.
oh, and i'd reccomend 'orange dawn' (T&M) courgette size plants, grapefruit size pumpkins, sweet taste!
Winter festival, table queen, little gem, blue hubbard and baby bear are all good, turks turban are nice but I never get many on each plant and you can't go wrong with any of the butternuts. overall for flavour, yield and keeping qualities I'd go for little gems
Erm, I kinda make the supports as I go! :-\ And yes Jill my butternuts go upwards! They seem to support the weight not had to put supports in for the squash yet! Will try and dig out a photo, though was very bad this year and had a mad few weeks were we were away and didn't have time to train them upwards, (BAD DP!) so err I too have sprawling squash this year! :'(
this is unfortunately the best photo I have this year.......sorry!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v176/bermujan/1f0e6807.jpg)
Many thanks as always for the superb advice, I think I'll go for a Butternut, Little Gem and Orange Dawn. As you might have guessed, I love squash, especially the little ones that you can stuff and bake whole or use as an edible soup tureen ;D
I've grown loads of different squashes and use them for different recipes as they all have different qualities, some are best roasted, some are best curried etc. some of the best tasting have been the small yellow ones (slight green ring at the base) and I've roasted those along with other veggies and they were surprisingly sweet. Also I fried some off in smallish chunks with onion, courgette, mushrooms etc to make a pilaff with rice etc and that was very good use of a squash I reckon :)
Blue Hubbard was a bit disappointing in the taste stakes despite the blurb saying it was No.1 in taste trials. The Winter Festival looks fantastic but not eaten it yet. I'll report back on Marina di Chioggia, Crown Prince and Uckiki Kuri, oh and Sweet Mama as I've not tried those yet. Turks Turban is not much to write home about. I;m told that Pompeon is a fab flavoured squash so I'm going to give that a whirl next year.
Thanks Wardy keep me posted. Yes, Blue Hubbard was disappointing. By the way, Pompeon (or Pompion) was the original 18th Century word for Pumpkin. I have a beautiful original recipe for Pompion soup which is simply sauted onions, Pumpkin and Christmas spices simmered in Duck or game stock. Blitz in the food processor and serve with a dollop of clotted cream on the top. I used to serve this every Christmas in my restaurant and the punters loved it. It freezes perfectly. ;D
I am going to grow an acorn squash next year but have not decided which one yet.
What a shame Wardy...hope you sold all those wallflowers.
Just to make you feel better I spent most of the day on the lottie and the weather was lovely...managed to get a lot done.
Derek
doris>> what a gorgeous plot. so is that string/rope on the frames? and where didya get the wood? what type?
All>> i also grew turks turban, got 7 fruit on one plant. very ornamental but found the taste more like a courgette than a sweet pumpkin.
FB, thats string from hay bales on the frames, and the wood is from our local roofing company, I get a huge bundle for a fiver.......actually the last lot was free!
My Blue Hubbards & Turks T's taste great, must depend on soil type etc. I suppose
A fello member on the allotment gave me what i think is a butternut squash but its not fully grown yet and is still green. Can you eat it like that??
Doris Pinks, thanks for the tip, vertical they will be ;D
once I get them to grow upwards, I assume that it is necassary to 'stop' them.
what sort of length do you let yours grow to until you pinch out the growing tips?
Ermmm very scientific me..........when I remember to do it! :-[ I tend to let mine go to the top of the frames and beyond then suddenly realise they need stopping! :-\ I weave them in and out of the string as they grow.
Rosyred, you can eat them young but I prefer the taste when they have been cured, that is to say left on a windowsill or in the greenhouse to ripen the fruit.
I turned my turks turban into a lantern this morning. The flesh which I was not wild about is now in the compost bin. I shall be eating a Sweet Mama tonight, cut in half, and I think I'll cube the flesh and fry it up with onion, garlic, mushrooms, sweetcorn, rice, flat leaf parsley on top and a bit of cheese on top and put back into the shells and put into a hot oven. I might need a bit of stock in it if it looks a bit dry. That's my plan but it might get revised as I go :)
Quote from: wardy on October 11, 2005, 14:13:48
I shall be eating a Sweet Mama tonight, cut in half, and I think I'll cube the flesh and fry it up
Cannibalism??? Hopefully not a guest Wardy! ;D ;D ;D
Tee hee ;D I do have a guest tonight actually but a sweet mama he aint ;)
I'm not going to cook my squash thingy for him as it might be a disaster. I'll try it out on the old man first :) Ooh forgot the garlic oh and a bit of bacon in it might be nice :) I'll end up with everything bar the kitchen sink it :)
Butternut squash...lovely. Best tasting pumpkin is crown prince - particularly for pies...mmmmmm cinamon....pastry etc...I grew some small yellow squash this year, bought as seed from some garden center - mini veg only name given, good in stews as hold texture well, and you can eat the skins so not fiddly.....easy to grow to and they don't sprawl too much, unlike others! :P
The Sweet Mama was like sweet potato. Very nice but not much flesh.
Used a different squash to make soup for tea. Another unlabelled variety. I must get to grips with this labelling. Made good soup :)
Uchiki Kuri - a hubbard type -great keeping and eating and a good size )about 1.5 kgs. Also, Crown Prince is especially beautiful and Jack Be Little are lovely little baby squash just right for one person. Sweet Dumpling are OK. I find the Hubbard squashes the tastiest and they make lush creamy soup. Also, not a winter squash but white or yellow patty pans are fab.
Must try Sweet mama!! Doris will begin construction asap!! Looks great and squashes travelled long way this season ::) Into loganberry, carrots, leeks and across other compost heap!! Thanks for butternut ID earlier on in season, thought would show you end result. Dead chuffed.. ;D ;D ;D
I didn't get one butternut :(
Oh Wardy, sorry! PM address will send you some with huge guilt boquet, and chocolates, erm and rhubarb wine, and take dog for walk...... :-\ Lottie
Lottie, your butternut crop looks impressive, I am going to try cobnut (better suited to the UK climate) next year, assuming I can get the seed from HDRA at Ryton ...
They also have the tomatillo seeds, and that aubergine you mentioned ... so I will have a little shopping list. It is ideal for me, as my daughter's stables is only a mile or so down the road ...
Derekthefox :D
Oh thanks Lots - you're so kind :)
Quote from: wardy on October 16, 2005, 22:58:25
I didn't get one butternut :(
Me neither Wardy. Oh well, will try again next year - think I need to get them out earlier, prob under cover at first as they seemed to take a long time to take off + then it was too late
I grew mine with lots of competition so maybe that was the problem. I put mine in manure with sweetcorn, runner and french beans with a butternut at each end. Got masses of foliage though :)
Ooh Lottie, your butternuts are short & squat like mine - i'm so pleased, i was feeling inferior when i saw other people long, elegant jobs. Glad mine are fat & happy - like me ;D (I only got 6 though :()
I ´ve grown "uchiki kuri or hokkaido for the last few years and like them the best so far.
if you leave them on the vines till the foliage has withered, which in my case is about now, and make sure you cut them off with a 10 cm long handle attached, they usually keep till march or till you´re sick off them. no need to peel, dark orange flesh, good flavour, about 2-5 pounds.
I adore butternuts and only got one this year :-(
Not even a decent size either.
Lottie, which variety did you grow? I want some like that!
moonbells
hi dinger,
i've grown ten varieties this year and the standout variety has been 'jaspee de vendee'which is technically a pumpkin (i think). it's early, bears lots of fruits of about 1.5kgs and is really tasty. good luck.