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elysium_gw

Only room for 1 zucchini, which would you choose?

Elysium
19 years ago

I have room for one of these two zucchini varieties, I heard good things about both Costata Romanesco and Zucchino Rampicante, if you had to choose which would it be?

Comments (30)

  • breezyb
    19 years ago

    No offense, but seed is not only cheap, but I've used Zucchini seed from the same packet(s) over several years with excellent germination. Why not just plant one of each & safe the rest of the seed for next year?

    I fold up my packets & store them in a glass jar (dry clean (put in the dishwasher clean) salad dressing or mayo jars work best) & store them in a bedroom closet until the next season. Some of my tomato & lettuce seeds are 5 years old & STILL produce for me.

  • Elysium
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    Sorry maybe I should have been more clear, I have plenty of room for saving the seed, but limited space in the garden this year. So I wanted to get the best tasting zucchini for the last spot I have left. :)

  • carolyn137
    19 years ago

    I've grown both and am not exactly in love with either variety when compared to many others, but would chose the Costata Romanesco.

    Carolyn

  • tomgyrll
    19 years ago

    Carolyn: Many others, such as ... ?

    Zucchini variety recommendations are always welcome.

  • Elysium
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    Carolyn, any recommendations by you would be great. I'm not deadset on those two, they just seemed to be pretty popular around here. I am looking for a zucchini with a lot of flavor. Any suggestions?

  • breezyb
    19 years ago

    If I really only had room for just one plant (although for safety's sake, I'd still grow 2 or 3), I'd choose one of the gold zucchinis. Nice flavor, firm texture, not as watery as yellow summer squash. I've grown Gold Rush, but I also understand that Butterstick is also very good.

  • Elysium
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    Thanks Breezy, I wish I had room for more, last year I planted 2 plants, Black Beauty and Butterstick, I was very pleased with Butterstick, but not with Black Beauty. Although it was productive, I didn't "love" the taste. I picked it young, mature and in between, to me it didn't have that great of a flavor, so I was looking to replace my green.

  • breezyb
    19 years ago

    Have you tried any of the round Zuke's? This year I'm going to try "Ronde de Nice". Figure I can slice it up to use in the normal fashion, as well as try out a number of different stuffing recipes. I'm also going to try an heirloom variety just called "Golden" zucchini. Will compare it to "Gold Rush", my old favorite. And will also toss in a couple of pattypans just for variety.

    I know that sounds like a lot of squash, but I'm hoping on either doing our local Farmers' Market &/or selling baby organic veggies to our local organic produce shops & restaurants. Plus, since we have squash bugs up the wazoo, I'd rather have too many than have just a couple of plants & possibly lose all of them.

  • AmandaAlna
    19 years ago

    Hey, Breezy. Again. Have you tried lemon squash? It resists squash bug up here, and looks really cute.

  • jimster
    19 years ago

    I'm growing no zucchini this year. I found I liked the flavor of Early Yellow Crookneck so well that I don't need zucchini.

    Jim

  • MudPye
    19 years ago

    Last year I grew Early Prolific Straightneck and Costa Romanesco. I "liked" the Costa, but found that the EPS was more productive. I plan to plant EPS, Tondo Scuro Di Piancenza (round), Yellow Custard - Scallop, and Black Beauty this time instead of Costa because I would like a better yield. I like mixing the green and yellow together in summer dishes.

  • tomgyrll
    19 years ago

    Since we're moving beyond just zucchini and talking about all summer squashes...I'm growing a white bush scallop (have grown all the other colours but not the white before), a yellow and a light green scallop, ronde de nice (both scallop and this one need to be picked very young), rolic (another round one w bright green innards), but the one I'm most looking forward to is cucuzzi italian - reputed to have a "nutty" flavour.

  • jimster
    19 years ago

    This thread is making me rethink my decision to not grow zucchini. And I was so positive about it. :-))

    It will have to wait another year, though. The space is all planned for.

    Jim

  • johnyb
    19 years ago

    I like Lebanese zucchini, large vines produce abundant numbers of sweet and tender produce, picked when 5-7 inches long is best.

    John

  • Elysium
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    I received a Chiari D Italia from a trade, but I can't find any information on it. Anyone hear of this variety?

  • daseedman
    19 years ago

    Elysium,

    Its actually called "Chiaro Di Italia" (roughly translates as "Clear of Italy", its fairly early and really productive like most zukes, Cylindral with green/grey fruit. It originates from around Genoa, Italy. Very nice, also sometimes mistaken and called "Verde Genovese Zucchino" which is a different variety. Available here in the U.S. by a few seed companies. Need to search for it under its proper name.

    By the way, Costata Romanesco, Sarzana, & Striato di Napoli (Striped of Naples) are by far the best. Costata is the best tasting but doesnt produce like Sarzana or Striato di Napoli. All 3 are good for their Blossoms, stuffed with riccota, gorgonzola & proscuitto, cio buono!

    -daseedman

  • Elysium
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    Thank you for the information, no wonder I couldn't find any, I was spelling it wrong. :)

    Do you think the "Chiaro Di Italia" can be trellised?

  • hemnancy
    18 years ago

    I bought some light green zuch's from a fruit stand with longitudinal stripes, and they were better raw than other zuch's I have tasted, so I'm trying to grow some this year. Park's has a light green Mediterranean style zuch. called Magda that is somewhat like it, I may try it.

  • motherduck
    18 years ago

    This is what Baker Creek says about one of your choices:

    Zucchino Rampicante (Zucca d'Albenga)
    (C. moschata) The famous Italian heirloom vining zucchini and pumpkin, long, slender 15" fruit have a flat bulb at the bottom, They are one of the best eating summer squash, very tender, mild and sweet tasting. The flavor is superb! This squash is also great as winter squash. The Italians use it for stuffing in gnocchi and ravioli; the flesh is rich and flavorful, great for baking and pies! The vines produce good yields of this great all-purpose squash. The mature fruit grow very long. This one is in very high demand at specialty markets.

  • pdxjules
    18 years ago

    - Have you considered sharing seed or plant starts with friends and neighbors, and ask them to bring you some?

    - Is there space in a community garden near you? Somethimes these are undersubscribed - and often volunteers do the compost/prep work for you!

    - Are you using vertical space? The smaller green and yellow & scalloped varieties can be grown up a trellis.

    - I prefer milder flavored varieties so I can eat more without flavor fatigue...including use in egg dishes.
    But I also love taking hose giant monster Zukes offered by friends, to roast with fresh tomatoes, herbs and garlic. Most goes in the freezer for easy flavorful soup/pasta sauce bases all winter.

    - You can arrange trades of Garden Space or Veggies in advance - using GW or Craigslist.com.

    - I asked a neighbor if I could use part of his empty lot and have a LOT more than I could grow otherwise. (It reduces his yard maintenance, and risk of weeds, and I'm also improving his soil)

  • flowersandthings
    18 years ago

    So which did you choose? FYI costata romanesco and Rampicante are very different one is a standard (costata romanesco) but gourmet i.e. best flavored zucchini one (rampicante) is a large pale green non standard zucchini said to have slightly (coarser) different texture.....

  • julie321
    18 years ago

    I love CR. I actually prefer it's lower productivity. I don't get quite so sick of zucchini now that I'm growing it. I have 2 plants of it as my only zucchini every year and still have to give some away. I've grown other Italian varieties like Striato d'Italia (large, vigorous plant) and Bianco di Sicilia (another vigorous variety) and Albarello di Sarzana (vigorous, but not as out of control) but I returned to Costata Romanesco. One complaint I've read a lot and tend to agree with; for a bush type plant it is huge and for such a huge plant the productivity may be disappointing and disproportionate to the plants size.

  • Tuso
    18 years ago

    Since space is the problem, the nice thing about Zucchino rampicante is that you can trellis it, maybe allowing you to plant one of each variety. I love all varieties that can go veritcal!

    Among many other summer squash varities, i am also growing rond de nice for the first time and i am stunned with how early it is. i transplanted them out late (june 25th) in a bed that i was waiting to come free with early spring veggies, and i'll probably pick the first one in 2 or 3 days. we'll see how it tastes.

    Natasja

  • kevin_bartoy
    16 years ago

    Try the zucchetta rampicante and trellis it ...

    http://bartoy.blogspot.com/2007/06/thats-not-squash.html

    Here is a link that might be useful: Life has taught us ...

  • olympia_gardener
    16 years ago

    I grow Italian type zucchini called Straita ( dark green with light green stripes). It tastes very good and is very productive. I pick zucchini every other day and start to be tired of it. And I live in zone 5, not very hot yet here.

    I saw someone mentioned growing cucuzzi. A word of caution...it can grow very large both the vine (invasive, it can easily reach 20' long) and the fruit. I grow it every year and last year it managed grow into my neighbor's yard. The fruit( melon ) can be very long about a 4-5' mature, 2' two days after it flowered. It is good for a large family. It does not taste like regular melon but it does like gourd. I believe it actually belong to gourd family because it has white flower that blossoms in the evening. It is very productive , you will not keep it up even if you eat it every day, especially, one fruit last for few days for it is so large in size.

    However, I would appreciate anyone who grow cucuzzi share some recipes.

  • sakura2006
    16 years ago

    Please tell me what name of zucchini is sweetest?
    I want to plant sweetest tasting zucchini.
    My garden is not so large therefore I am looking for kind of zucchini plants do not require large space.

  • onafixedincome
    10 years ago

    Those of you with extra squash, consider finding a local chicken raiser and offer to trade for eggs or manure for next year's garden. Composted poultry litter/manure is AWESOME, but if you don't compost it, it can burn your plants.

    Chickens generally adore squash as a nice addition to a standard diet, and it freezes well enough to use in winter as well.

  • carolync1
    10 years ago

    Elysium, the "best" zucchini depends on your particular taste. If you didn't like "Black Beauty", you might be careful about some of the other dark zucchinis. If you like "Italian" flavor, one of the Italian types mentioned above would be good.

    I don't like "Rampicante" steamed, but it's nice sauteed with garlic. I don't think it's a highly-flavored squash but is has some sweetness. It's related to butternut winter squashes but tastes better than the latter when picked young, not as good when kept as winter squash. I grew it one year with Cucuzzi gourds. The pair would be fantastic on an overhead trellis. No spines. Cucuzzi is good briefly steamed or cooked with tomatoes when very young or pared, seeded and stuffed when more like a baseball bat. Immature seeds are white and sweet. My father-in-law's favorite summer squash is "Zapollito de Tronco" or however you spell it. It is related to many pumpkins and winter squashes. Picked young, it looks like a little green cheese-shaped zucchini, but has a different flavor. Plant is huge and not as productive as most zucchinis.

    For "regulation" summer squash, I prefer the sweeter lighter green zucchinis like "Magda" and the yellow crookneck and straightneck squashes. This year, I am also growing "Butterstick" and a darker yellow zucchini, "Meteor" (no longer marketed) along with rather dark Sweet Zuke (breaks easily at the neck), "Spineless Beauty", "Zephyr" (not the most productive, but the most fun and keeps well in the fridge) and a couple of scallops. "Meteor" was my first squash this year, with several others coming in the next day. By the third day, I had picked 19 squashes. I think "Magda" is my most productive variety, but Farmerdill says "Freckles" is even more productive. It has a thinner shape. Zucchinis generally survive longer than other summer squashes in my hot-summer garden.

    Pinetree is offering a new medium or dark green zucchini with mild, sweet "almost cucumber-like" flavor, "Reward". Won their taste-test.

    This post was edited by carolync1 on Sat, May 18, 13 at 22:01

  • kayjones
    10 years ago

    When I grew Zucchinni, I tried many kinds - I always went back to 'Eight Ball'. It's a good producer and has good flavor. You can bake with it, fry it, boil it, pickle it - the meat if nice and firm and holds up well to heat from cooking.

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