Outstanding Winter Squash varieties

[Alan]

OK, in my attempt to be a completist and make sure I have all the genetic material I need in the bank to complete my mass cross and selective crosses of winter squash I thought I would ask this question.

If you could only maintain three varieties of outstanding winter squash, what would your choices be?

I ask because I want to make sure I have a massive gene pool to select from and that within that gene pool I have the most popular and tasty choices available to me to offer back to you, my friends and plant breeding co-conspirators, this fall.

-alan

[canadamike]

I will be growing THELMA SANDERS again, and since I sent you some and you ate it, you know they are good, and I will also grow AUSTRALIAN BUTTERSQUASH, I did not kept it in my garage, it will be new, but I believe what others have said about it, I feel experienced enough to decifer between newbies and experienced people, and this squash has '' my friend the chef at our best restaurant'' writen all over it.

I often go in the kitchens and see him cut butternuts for the sake of having something else to do than seeding the buggers. Chefs love meat in veggies, it cut their working time, and the aussie just look good enough for him. Check it out.

They say it is very good, I haven't tried it yet, but one thing is sure, they put so much herbs and spice in their squash concoctions that it end up tasting what they do with it.

And it is a bit like you and the squashes I sent you, you cooked them with brown sugar and pumpkin spices.

Squashes are the eggplants of the cucurbits, they taste what we want, and we usually end up wanting more than the pure virgin taste of them.

For a restaurant, ''meat'' bulk is the king. If it needs a little more sugar it will be fixed, if you cook the famous squash and apples soup the apples taste can take over, anyway, they are a very nutritious veggie in search of a flavour partner...

Up here we use basil a lot, you seem to do it differently, but we all make up for a certain blandness...

Go for the meat...

Michel

[flowerpower]

Alan, I would have to say butternut, acorn, and LI Cheese are the ones people ask me for the most. But I am going heavy on all sorts of winter squash and pumpkins. There was a big shortage here last fall. I am definitely looking foward to growing the Neck Pumpkin.

[bluelacedredhead]

We grew Thelma Sanders this year. They were prolific and somewhat tasty. But the clear winners were the Japanese squashes; Red Kuri being #1. Futsu and another lesser known being a not-so-close 2nd..

I didn't eat the one and only LI Cheese that grew here because I had to pull it prematurely from the vine due to a frost. It finished ripening indoors and I just saved seed and fed the squash to the chickens. But from the way they mowed it down, I'd have to say it must have been sweet!! Next year, I'm hoping we do much better with the LIC...I want some of my own!

[grungy]

Ukrainian Sweet Potato, Butternuts, and Hubbards top the list. But most winter squashes taste great.

[lavandulagirl]

I have high hopes for the grocery store saved seed of a Musquee de Provence... bought this enormous squash last fall, and was blown away by the taste and fragrance. Also, I have acorn squash that we grow and save seed from every year, which we love. Not sure on a third or fourth choice... Blue's Japanese squashes sounded fabulous this year.

[Blueflint]

This is a tough one actually...I tend to prefer the C. Moschata group of winter squash with the Choctaw Sweet Potato being my favorite. Other great ones would include Seminole Squash, Texas Indian Moschata and Winter Crookneck (butternut parent)...to pick three would be very hard...but there are a few I would include. I like the flavor of the C. Moschatas though they have a wide range of flavors too from the mild Choctaw to the stronger butternuts. These have no problems with SVB and I find them overall tougher than most others.

Blueflint

[johno]

I'm with Blueflint - I like most of the C. moschatas best. Maximas can be very good, too, but aren't usually as disease resistant. From the ones I've eaten I like Seminole Pumpkin for its rich flavor and Shishigatani for its melony-sweet flavor.

I too have high hopes for Musqee du Provence - thanks for the seeds Lav! And I haven't tried Long Island Cheese, but I did get some immature fruits from Magdalena Big Cheese and they were quite a teaser! I wonder if it's reasonable to deduce that most of the 'cheesewheel' types are very good?

If I had to pick three, they'd be: Seminole Pumpkin from experience, Magdalena Big Cheese from the unripes I tried, and Musquee du Provence from what I've read.

[Alan]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I think I have about everything mentioned somewhere in the genebank minuis two that seem to have piqued my interest.

Does anybody have some spare seed of Seminole Squash or Texas Indian Moschata, I noticed them mentioned here and then saw them in the seeds of change catalouge but didn't notice them online the other day when I placed my order there.

[canadamike]

Any musquée de provence seeds left, anyone? I would love to grow them and I am ready to trade ?

[flowerpower]

I know some girl on here who has some. If you say "Pretty Please", maybe she will send you some. She is sending me some, so I'll share with you if she is out.

[Alan]

I ordered the above mentioned varieties I was looking for late last night and look forward to giving them a grow this year.

When it comes to squash I actually prefer the Maxima varieties, particularly those in the hubbard family. However, for a great tasting, large Moschata, Dickenson Pumpkin is absolutely terrific in taste, texture, size and productivity. Just be sure if you grow it you've got someone to share all of that processed pulp with!

[lavandulagirl]

CanadaMike - I have plenty of the Musquee seeds. The only caveat is that I saved these from a grocery store squash, not something I grew myself. The fruit was wonderful, so I have every reason to believe the seeds will produce something great, but I cannot be certain that they haven't been crossed. PM me if you'd like the seed, and let me know your address.

LG

[lavandulagirl]

Mailed seeds this past weekend to Flowerpower, for her and for Blue. If anyone else wants some from this Musquee with no provenance, just let me know. I have plenty. And I can't say enough good things about how tasty the squash they came from was....

[flowerpower]

Thanks, Lav. I will add the pumpkins to Blue's envelope.