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Post by Alan on Feb 3, 2010 19:21:44 GMT -5
Having spoken to the wonderful Carol Deppe lately she had an intriguing question for me.
We were on the subject of winter squash and the constant breeding/selection towards sweeter and more moist type flesh varieties.
Are there winter squash which don't taste like your typical winter squash?
That is to say, are there varieties with uses not traditionally attributable to winter squash varieties? Maybe something with a bit of a bite? Spicy maybe? It seems there should be enough variation out there which could have lead to varieties such as this over the years, but if there are I and Carol either one know nothing of them.
I told carrol that perhaps the middle-east and the orient would be good starting points giving their differing selections of melons for uses the west traditionally doesn't thing of or make use of. Of course their brassica crops and uses differ signifigantly from ours as well.
Any insight?
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Post by raymondo on Feb 14, 2010 16:27:46 GMT -5
Interesting thought, and one which had never crossed my mind I have to admit. Baker Creek sells a squash called Noob Taub, originating with the Hmong people from Laos, which is described as not particularly sweet; our grower recommends it for savory recipes rather than dessert uses. So, you are probably right that East Asia might offer some interesting squash along these lines.
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Post by bunkie on Feb 14, 2010 17:02:45 GMT -5
i don't know alan, but the first thought that came to my mind was the naked seed pumpkins/squashes we have discussed where the flesh has little flavor.
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Post by canadamike on Feb 14, 2010 17:23:59 GMT -5
I have a couple of selections of melons described as having ''STRANGE'' or different taste. Squashes, apart for sweetness, are pretty bland flavor wise to me, by that I mean they do not have a strong but very mild taste that you adapt easily with herbs or else to taste whatever you want them to taste.
The asians make use of many other members of the family in the bitter range...but I do not know of any squash with some special really really different taste...
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Post by Hristo on Feb 19, 2010 12:47:09 GMT -5
This is so hard to answer question. People's taste preferences and even perceptions could be so different. Not to mention the environmental influence to the crop. For instance, both Carol Deppe and Glenn Drowns adore the Guatemalan Blue Banana squash. Ok, I tried Blue Banana and Guatemalan Blue Banana (this one from SandHill) - to my taste I will rate them 5-6 out of 10.
Also acording to your words she selects for moist flesh (like hubbards and many others). I use these for baking and they are excellent. But I prefer to eat the squashes steam boiled. IMHO this way of preparation best reveals the real flavour of the squash. For this type of preparation the dry flaky varieties are best.
Many moschata's has quite strong musky aroma. Maxima x moschata is possible. Maybe she could try such cross. Never tried such cross. I suppose it's not so easy. But I wonder if it's possible to use one of the available interspecific hybrids as bridge. And I'm planning to try this this year. Does anyone already tried this? Any results?
After all I think she's best bet to find such variety is to grow as many varieties as she can and to pick the best ones.
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Post by Alan on Mar 1, 2010 23:08:10 GMT -5
This is so hard to answer question. People's taste preferences and even perceptions could be so different. Not to mention the environmental influence to the crop. For instance, both Carol Deppe and Glenn Drowns adore the Guatemalan Blue Banana squash. Ok, I tried Blue Banana and Guatemalan Blue Banana (this one from SandHill) - to my taste I will rate them 5-6 out of 10. Also acording to your words she selects for moist flesh (like hubbards and many others). I use these for baking and they are excellent. But I prefer to eat the squashes steam boiled. IMHO this way of preparation best reveals the real flavour of the squash. For this type of preparation the dry flaky varieties are best. Many moschata's has quite strong musky aroma. Maxima x moschata is possible. Maybe she could try such cross. Never tried such cross. I suppose it's not so easy. But I wonder if it's possible to use one of the available interspecific hybrids as bridge. And I'm planning to try this this year. Does anyone already tried this? Any results? After all I think she's best bet to find such variety is to grow as many varieties as she can and to pick the best ones. All excellent points for sure. I too dislike Guatamalan Blue Bannana squash, but I'm particular about my squash; to me Hubbard lines and Cheese Moshata's are unbeatable. The crosses between Moschata and Maxima is possible, just a pain in the ass so to speak. I have grown one proposed interspecific cross a couple of years back, I wasn't impressed. I would tend to thing that somewhere, particularly in the middle east, far east, or possibly of Italian or Greek heritage that there would probably already exist something of this type, it's just a matter of finding that needle in the haystack essentially.
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Post by ottawagardener on Mar 8, 2010 7:44:00 GMT -5
I have heard that Pontimarron tastes like chestnut but that wasn't my experience though I did enjoy the young squash of this variety as did the cucumber beetles.
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Post by Hristo on Mar 8, 2010 16:18:02 GMT -5
Agreed, Potimarron/Uchiki Kuri/Red Kuri (call it as you wish) is very good, but it really has only a trace of chestnut flavour and is not nearly as flaky/crumbly as chestnut, it's more on the moist/creamy side. I have eaten much better chestnut flavoured squashes that were really dry and flaky, though less sweet that the chestnut.
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Post by raymondo on Mar 9, 2010 17:06:16 GMT -5
I have eaten much better chestnut flavoured squashes that were really dry and flaky, though less sweet that the chestnut. Okay Hristo, don't keep us in suspense! What varieties?
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Post by Hristo on Mar 9, 2010 19:10:03 GMT -5
Wish I knew it. Few years ago received few squash seeds labeled "Kabocha". Obviously they were not pure seeds, because they grew squashes of different colour and taste. Probably were collected of some of the east asian hybrids.
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Post by michaeljohnson on Mar 10, 2010 1:50:27 GMT -5
You haven't lived yet"- ;D until you have tried the Australian Iron Bark squash, a friend out there sent me some last season and told me to give them a try,
Apparently very few people ever get to discover the different taste -(if any) as the skins are so hard when ripe it is almost an axe job or a hammer and chisel job, to break into them and see, I grew a single plant of it last season and harvested a couple of the fruit when ripe-with a small saw to cut them off the vine, at the stalk, ;D -I never got around to harvesting any seeds from them as yet-despite my best efforts to try, and broke the blade of a favorite sheath knife struggling to try, so I gave up the struggle in the end before I did myself a serious injury.
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Post by grunt on Mar 10, 2010 23:16:35 GMT -5
Michael: hold it over your head, and throw it straight down at the ground a few times. You should be able to fracture it that way. If you succeed, I'd like to try to grow some from the seeds you get out of it.
Edited to add = do this in your driveway, not on the kitchen floor.
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Post by raymondo on Mar 11, 2010 2:04:34 GMT -5
My grandmother grew Iron Bark but she had to get my father to cut them. I can't remember whether he used an axe or a wood splitter!
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Post by cortona on Mar 11, 2010 18:19:27 GMT -5
wel flawor is probably soil related because my red kury taste realy chestnut like! produce realy poorly in my dry land but... i love it!
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Post by Hristo on Mar 12, 2010 15:49:08 GMT -5
Cortona, tell what is the consistency of your Red Kuri - really dry and flaky/crumbly as real chestnuts, of moist and creamy?
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