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Post by Alan on Apr 9, 2007 23:02:49 GMT -5
So after collecting more varieties of tomatoes and tobacco and sweet corn than anyone in their right mind will ever find time to mess with I think I've found my new obsession(s).....Squash and Melons.
Something about the diversity of coulours and shape interests me. Also something about the storage capacity of winter squash and it's uses. My family has never been big on squash, other than a bit of zuchini and summer crookneck.
Anybody else here into squash. Want to reccomend some good varieties? Have something cool to trade. A good recipe? Let me know.
-Alan
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brook
gardener
Posts: 127
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Post by brook on Apr 10, 2007 10:01:17 GMT -5
Nothing like another obsessive hobby, hey, Alan.
One thing to be aware of: Squash are as bad as peppers, when it comes to crossing. And peppers are the sluts of the garden.
One way to avoid crossing is to play the species game. There are six speices of squash, four of which are commonly grown in North America. If you grow one of each, there are no cross pollination worries, because they won't cross inter-species.
Otherwise, the only way to assure seed purity is to hand pollinate.
Also keep in mind that many squashes are out-breeders. Which means, when you hand pollinate, you should use the males from one plant to pollinate the females on another vine.
Good luck.
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Post by Alan on Apr 10, 2007 12:06:54 GMT -5
Thanks for the info! I really got a kick out of the "sluts of the garden" comment, that's funny. Anyhow, I plan on doing quite a bit of isolation between the types that I have, some will be grown on other farms away from all other squash varieties, I hope I do a good job seperating them  -Alan |
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Post by ohiorganic on Apr 10, 2007 17:34:58 GMT -5
Candy Roaster is a nice squash. I think it's a moschata. Looks like a warty pink and blue pumkin and makes killer pumpkin pie.
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Post by downinmyback on Apr 10, 2007 23:23:36 GMT -5
I alway like the sweet potato pumpkin (Green Striped Cushaw ) besides the normal crockneck squash and Zucchini . My wife like the white scallop but i am not thrill with it.We had a good crop of squash but we have already eaten all we put up last year.
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Post by johno on Apr 11, 2007 8:45:35 GMT -5
Sluts of the garden, huh? My peppers must be the skanky kind that nobody wants to pollinate. I have only had a problem with crossing when different types were grown right next to each other. Maybe my bees just don't like peppers?.. I know that's definitely not the norm, just an oddity of my location somehow...
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 11, 2007 22:15:49 GMT -5
Pumpkin Bread...Mmmmmmm. The best!! Zucchini bread is good, but nothing beats Pumpkin bread (use any flavourful winter squash with good orange flesh) or pumpkin muffins..
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Post by flowerpower on Apr 11, 2007 23:46:10 GMT -5
Two new ones for me this yr will be the Rouge Vif D'Etampes and Blue Hubbard Squash. Pumkins and gourds are my favorite things to grow.
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Post by Alan on Apr 12, 2007 8:07:18 GMT -5
I found some seeds for candy roaster at the local seed store yesterday along with true green hubbard to go along with the following:
cornfield pumpkin
gollden zuchini
black beauty zuchini
yellow prolific straighneck
yellow prolific crookneck
white bush scallop
gold bush scallop
8 ball zuchini
golden 8
waltham butternut
acorn
golden acorn
green striped cushaw
and I believe that's it, though i'm definetly still looking.
-Alan
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Post by johno on Apr 12, 2007 9:43:15 GMT -5
You have more on the way...
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 12, 2007 22:22:33 GMT -5
My newest obsession is Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato Squash from SSE. The pic on the SSE exchange website just draws me right in. Not to mention that it cost me $15 Cdn to get a package of those and a package of Hinkelhatz peppers. They better be good!!
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Post by johno on Apr 12, 2007 22:33:42 GMT -5
I'm a big fan of Seminole pumpkin. It takes a lot of space, and yields relatively small fruits. Sounds good, huh? It is the most insect resistant squash I have ever grown, so it's reliable. To top that, it's fairly prolific and it ranks with the best tasting squash I've ever eaten.
I like to cut the tops off and clean out the "guts," then pre cook them a while before stuffing them with buttered mashed sweet potatoes and pecans. Takes a while to bake.. but it's a spectacular dish.
Did I mention that they keep for over a year?
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Post by downinmyback on Apr 12, 2007 22:38:32 GMT -5
They sound tasty anyway. I alway grow sweet potato sguash every year ( none with that fancy of a name( as i love to eat it in the wintertime when you cannot get any fresh vegetable. My wife just slice them in half place on a cookie sheet add some butter and let them bake until done. Then she scoop the flesh out with a ice cream scoop ( who would have known a ice cream scroop would do such a good job.) I usually eat mine last as a desert as it os sweet and spicy. Oh i forgot she add cimmamon at the last.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 12, 2007 23:21:46 GMT -5
Down, my Husband doesn't care for squash and some of the other Sweet Potato types are large. What caught my eye about the Thelma Sanders other than the colour, was the fact that it's an acorn style squash, so one or two servings only. Nothing wasted! I like Acorn Squash too, just with butter. Or with a bread stuffing!! Wonder if the Thelma Sanders type would go good with a stuffing, since it's basically the same size?? I hope I'm going to find out, |
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Post by downinmyback on Apr 12, 2007 23:26:59 GMT -5
Yeah they are too big for just one person. Let me know after you harvest them this fall how they taste as i like most squash. The name does remind you of Grandmother house.
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