Row 7

[oxbowfarm]

I hope that most of my customers are not dumb. There are all kinds of external forces from society that place folks in their situation, so when they are looking at produce, they are trying to make careful calculations about what is possible for their lifestyle. The biggest reason people like all the easy pre-prepped options is that on average people have less time to cook. And they use leftovers much less. Is it not better to succeed in selling a Honeynut or a Delicata that someone WILL buy, vs trying and failing to sell a big Neck Pumpkin in the 20 lb range? If people want to eat like Carol Deppe, then they are probably going to be growing their own big squash, vs buying it from me. I wouldn't personally want to be a single mom trying to feed her kids healthy vegetables while holding down whatever jobs she's got and solving the many problems entailed in living that life. It pleases me to sell her vegetables she can actually use, and I think we are performing a mutually beneficial transaction when we do so.

[reed]

I like smaller squash cause there are only two people in our house and one squash about the size of a typical acorn is fine for just us, not that I have any problem eating leftovers. Also the little ones more easily lend themselves to growing vertically which is a tremendous help in a small garden.

[Joseph Lofthouse]

I tend to sell small squash for $2, and large squash for $4. So a person might be paying $4 per pound for small squash, and 20 cents a pound for large squash. I pretty much sell all the squash I take to market each week, so I make much more by selling a truck-load of little squash than a truck-load of big squash.

I have also started growing pepo winter squash. I pretty much think that they are not really food, but if people want to buy them, who am I to decide what they should be eating?

I'm reminded of people at the farmer's market that say things like, "I'd love to buy a muskmelon, but I don't think I could eat it before I go on vacation a week from now." I'm thinking, "Dude! It's a 2 pound muskmelon, I could eat that right now, and be wanting another."

[walt]

Pepo squash not really food?
When my daughter got her first apartment, she invited my son and I for Thanksgiving dinner.  Her first course was a half acorn squash full of chopped apples, raisons, and walnuts, baked.  I think there was cinnamon sprinkled on top.  I have never tasted anything finer.
Unfortunately, squash bugs keep me from growing my own acorn squash.  But sometimes I buy them and cook them that way.
Otherwise, butternut is my favorite.
Summer squash, other than as pickles and squash bread, are worthless to me.