|
Post by Alan on Nov 5, 2007 0:20:17 GMT -5
I was just wondering what everyones favorite Pie Pumpin/Squash is here. I know that it varies from person to person, mostly based on what you grew up eating so everyones opinion is bound to be different and at least regionally based if not family based.
Mine is the old Blue Hubbard followed by the Dickenson Pumpkin, the only ones I don't really care for are Cushaws, mostly because in my opinion they are inferior in pies (it could be a flesh color preference, but I honestly aslo can taste a difference, maybe due to a lower sugar content). This year I also really got into neck pumpkin (all the flavor of butternut with a nicer appearance and more usable flesh) and I also really dug the taste of Pink Bannanna squash (though you can make a friggin' dozen pies out of one of those bad boys.).
I think that even the C. Pepo "Small Sugar" would be good (despite some stringiness), but I am only judging this on Baking one in the oven stuffed with butter, brown sugar and cinamon, however it was delicious that way!
|
|
|
Post by Blueflint on Nov 5, 2007 6:35:23 GMT -5
My favorite is the Choctaw Sweet Potato Winter Squash. An average fruit will make 2-3 pies, texture works up creamy smooth and flavor is very good, not as strong as butternuts or neck pumpkins. Blueflint
|
|
|
Post by flowerpower on Nov 5, 2007 7:13:13 GMT -5
I do like those Small Sugar/Pie Pumkins. They did very well her despite the drought. But my favorite is Butternut, then acorn. I do like the LI Cheese and I am going to have to go heavier on those next season. Several people asked for my one pathetic squash to make pies. But I like the look of that neck pumpkin alot.
|
|
|
Post by bluelacedredhead on Nov 5, 2007 8:40:28 GMT -5
Alan, Do you have seed for the heirloom Crooked Neck Butternuts (aka PA Dutch Crookneck) or did you grow the hybrid Ultra that's hitting the seed stands these days?
|
|
|
Post by Alan on Nov 5, 2007 11:25:49 GMT -5
I have a line of the traditional neck pumkin blue, the only problem is it is treated seed, but for the most part I suppose that is no big deal, do you need some? I can try to dig some out for you if you want. There may even be some of those seed in the squash mix I sent you, they could be easily singled out because they are treated and the seed is red, so that may help.
I have the Ultra 2 as well and some saved F2 seed of it which I am going to try to dehybridize because the fruit is absoluetley huge, with a big long straight neck that easily would be the equivelent of five or six butternuts! -Alan
|
|
|
Post by Alan on Nov 5, 2007 11:27:46 GMT -5
By the way blueflint, those choctaw sweet potato squash you sent me did pretty well and I really enjoy the taste too!
The corn didn't fare so well as the raccons at the demo garden took it down in the late "milk" stage and completly destroyed the cherokee cornfield beans you sent two. I did manage to save one good cob of the corn for see though, i'm a bit worried about having enough of a gene pool, but we will see over time. -Alan
|
|
|
Post by Blueflint on Nov 16, 2007 20:54:43 GMT -5
I am glad to hear the Choctaw Sweet Potato Winter Squash did well for you. With the heat and lack or rain, I didn't expect it to do well actually. I love this squash, a nice flavor that lends itself to several ways of fixing it.
Loosing the beans isn't that bad as more stock is readily available.
I really hate to hear about the Shawnee Corn. Did you plant at only one location or at two? Did you use all the original seed stock I sent (both batches)? I can send you another couple hundred seed as I had a small growout this year myself (along with 2 other corns, all spaced out for pollination time).
Raccoons are terrible when it comes to corn damage. Trapping is the only way to control them but sometimes this is not an option. Once the ears are getting pretty well thru pollination, I will take (on RARE corns) a piece of 1/4" hardware cloth, cut it to 18" x 18" pieces and wrap the ear and stalk with it. This will frustrate the raccoon as he can not bite thru this nor can he remove the ear from the stalk. This is a pain but sometimes necessary on the rarest corns. In large growouts, I will walk thru the plants, select the nicest ears on the strongest stalks and then wrap these for seed saving. Once the outer ear husks start to yellow down, I remove the ears and place in a safe place to dry down.
Blueflint
|
|
|
Post by Alan on Nov 17, 2007 0:34:13 GMT -5
Wow, that's a really good idea. Unfortunately I planted it all due to the drought and moderate germination early in the year, what I did see of it developing some color was quite nice, at some point after increasing seed and keeping a pure strain I would like to take a sample and try to breed a sweet corn from it, time will tell though, Dent corns are a little harder to make sweet variants of, but I think this one would be nice if crossed with an old white open pollinated variety.
I could send you a couple of dollars for seed if you are interested or an SASE because I would definetly like to give this one a try again, I did order some of the cherokee cornfield beans, I think I got them from southern exposure seed exchange but I am not sure.
I really enjoyed the sweet potato squash, it's a nice versatile butternut lke squash with a really good flavor and texture and it cooks up really nice into pies, I wish there was a way to go back in time and see the lineage of this particular squash given the seed shape and characteristics, it appears that at some time in the far distant past there was some complex natural crossing between this squash and another species, but that is just a guess.
Your Friend, Alan Reed Bishop
|
|