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Musquee de Provence

Posted by dak56 (My Page) on
Mon, Jul 6, 09 at 15:18

Has anyone grown Musquee de Provence pumpkin? I *think* I might have a volunteer in my garden, that was the only pumpkin I bought last fall & would have come from my compost...
little pumpkin
7.6.09 010">
flower & leaves (on the left)
7.6.09 012">

Thank you!


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: Musquee de Provence

It might be, ribbing on pumpkins isn't obvious right away. Your plants look really great! Post a followup when it starts getting big!


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RE: Musquee de Provence

Thanks Sazji! You're in Turkey? & zone 8b? What do you like to grow there? I'll be happy to post a follow-up, here's a shot not even a week later, it's getting big!

: 7.11.09 003">


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RE: Musquee de Provence

It doesn't look like a musqee to me. Musquee are a flat, deeply ribbed squash not round & smooth, and their coloring is a very dark, solid green (almost black) when young not mottled green.

Whatever it is I'm sure it will make a great decoration, let us know at it gets closer to maturity.


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RE: Musquee de Provence

Yes if it were musquee I suspect it would already be showing at least its flatness. I'm growing Rouge Vif d'Etampes this year; it's the first time I've ever grown one of the big wide ones. The ovaries start out round and continue that way till about baseball size, then really start flattening out visibly. But one of mine is nearly a foot wide now and still hasn't shown any definite ribbing, just a hint of it so far (I'm assuming my seed was true!) Depending on where you bought your pumpkin and what else was growing alongside it, it could be a mix of musquee and something else. A fun mystery anyway!

As for what I like to grow here - I do both vegetables and ornamentals. With so many really good vegetables available locally, I tend to grow things that I can't buy here normally. I'm growing some different sweet corn varieties that I got from the US, 3 different winter squash, rainbow chard and sweet potatoes now; had favas through the winter (okay, common as dirt here but I love them, and they're so good for the soil too), and lots of volunteer Hopi Red Dye amaranth. Also radishes and mizuna - first time for mizuna but really like it a lot. I planted garlic chives and it was coming up nicely but then we started having a problem with dogs coming in and lying/digging in the beds...guess which bed they picked? :/

By the way if you want to grow a really nice winter squash/pumpkin, I'm pimping...er...sending seeds to several people this fall of the local favorite called Adapazari - a big gray one with deep ribs and very firm, deep orange flesh. Make sure you have some room for it though!


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RE: Musquee de Provence

I think you both are right, it's beginning to turn a little yellow now. I wonder what it is? And how to tell when it's ripe?

Sazji, I would love to grow your Adapazari! I have plenty of room, but tell me, how is it usually prepared? Are there some traditional recipes available? Is there a way to private message you my email?

7.20.09 009">


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RE: Musquee de Provence

The best test for winter squash is to see if you can puncture the rind with a fingernail. If you can, they aren't quite ready yet.

If that's a pumpkin you should probably wait until its showing a brilliant color all over to test it.


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RE: Musquee de Provence

For some reason I haven't been able to change my email here; the one I'm using now is dolichos-(at)-gmail-(dot)-com. You can write me there. I'll be sending Adapazarý seeds out to several people this fall. Typically they use it for desserts/sweets here but it's a fine flavored squash that's really good for anything you'd use any other winter squash for. I sent pictures to Amy Goldman (The Compleat Squash) and she said it looked to be related to the South American blues.

The rule of thumb with winter squash is that when you can no longer pierce the skin with your fingernail, they're ripe. When you pick them (cut them), you'll want to let the cure in a not too hot dry place for a couple weeks. Many improve with storage because the starches convert back into sugar.


 
 

 

 


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