Here's a group if you don't dare open the album :)

Those are quite impressive! :)

Moni

Lisa,

That's some yummy looking squash. I believe Seedmama will be proud of your squash. Don't you love all the interesting shapes?

I can't wait to see what kind of comments you get. : )

One year I grew snake gourds, just for fun, and got a lot of bizarre shapes similar to your squash. My plants climbed a 20'-tall possomhaw holly and the cats were so convinced the snake gourds were snakes that they wouldn't sit under the holly. Who says gardening isn't funny at times? One of my favorite plant variety names is the hybrid snake gourd called "Snaky". Hope they didn't pay big bucks to someone to come up with that one.

Dawn

Those are WILD, I've never seen anything like that. Why did you tie them in KNOTS??

Larry

Usually when they grow on a trellis they are not so curly. I guess they are more of a trombone shape, but if allowed to run on the ground they twist and almost grow in circles sometimes.

The skin is very thin so you don't have to peel them, and you are going to be amazed at how much food you get from one squash. Hope your co-workers don't lock their cars. LOL

If they lock their cars, she can wrap the squash up like they're presents, and leave them (anonymously, of course) on their desks.

Can you make pickles out of those? My mother use to make pickled squash. I tried it for a couple of years but it was too long of a process for me to enjoy. Too many steps to go through to keep them crisp.

We pickled green tomatoes today. This is a learning curve for wife and me both.

Larry

Yes, growing them on the ground seems to be the reason for the curly q shapes. The vine that had the long straight one had grown through the chain link fence and was supported by a weedy tree, so the squash hung down. (That was the one I had to sneak over to get :) )

Sharon came over last night and we sampled one. It was sorta sweet. I can see where they will overwhelm me quickly though!

Seedmama, please tell Seedpapa I forgot to properly title this thread to give him the true credit :) It definitely is more Seedpapa than Seedmama :)

I have one co-worker and she is currently enjoying the cool air of Alaska! I'll have to save up a few for her as a "welcome home" gift!!

That is really cool. I like to hollow squash and stuff them. I got a giggle when I envisioned the attempt on these. Still, that's some serious sliced zucchini. Yum.

Lisa, She should bring you some cool Alaskan air to trade for squash that have grown in magnificent and interesting shapes.

Dawn

Dawn, I totally agree!!!

ChickenCoupe, Moni, et al, I've been doing my best to reign in my childish fingers which have been dying to make more interesting comments :) That first post was incredibly hard to write without some very inappropriate sounding words!!! LOL Although you see that I wasn't able to completely resist!

Seedmama will need to come along and up the ante on the comments.

Lisa

Bon, There is nothing to stuff in these squash as that entire neck is solid squash, and what few seeds it has are in the bulb. If you pick it around 18 inches you can just slice through the seeds and cook the entire thing. The flesh is a very light buttery yellow and very good.

Larry, I have made pickled squash with mine, but it does take a lot of work. I like mine a lot, but I used a recipe that is a little too sweet for Al. I made it in quarts so I hesitate to open one when I know I will have to eat it all myself. I'll probably try to find a recipe that isn't quite so sweet if I make it again. I planted my Zucchetta after I took the peas off of the trellis this year so I is just now starting to produce. Right now it has one squash and about 20 male blooms on it, so it is just getting started but is about 10 feet long already.

Carol, I like sweet pickles, would you mind sharing your recipe? What type of Zucchetta seed do I need to buy? That plant looks like it would be fun to grow.

Larry

I ordered mine from Pinetree Seeds. Pinetree generally gives smaller amounts of seeds, but for this plant, I think you will have plenty!

Lisa

Here is a link that might be useful: Zucchetta

Larry, Baker Creek normally has it but they are out of stock right now.

I see it at Pinetree (www.superseeds.com) #W288 listed as Zucchetta Ramp Tromboncino Squash. Scan down to bottom of page.

I think I need to buy some also or I would send you some. I'll try to remember to check next time I am going through my seed stash.

I don't remember which recipe I used but I normally use only those from National Center for Home Food Preservation found here: http://nchfp.uga.edu/

or from the Ball Canning book that Walmart sells in their canning section for 6 or 7 bucks. I have a squash relish recipe that isn't from that book and a salsa recipe, and I have made both for years. Those two are not in the approved list but I don't worry about either because of the added acid, but I wouldn't post them here because they are not approved. The squash recipe that I just made this year from my zucchini is more like a hot dog relish and if you want it I will send it to your email. I'll have to look for the other recipe that I used squash in.

Here is a link that might be useful: #W288

Larry, I found the recipe in the Ball book called Zucchinini Pickles. I will email it to you. Do you want the relish also?

Thanks, guys, and yes, Carol I would love to have both recipes. It is so much more fun to grow things if you know what to do with them.

Larry

I love the color scheme in your kitchen. It's so relaxing.

bon

Thanks, Bon. It was a nice change from the sunshine yellow, and the orange and sunshine yellow before that :)

Lisa

Lisa, From the moment I read your OP on this thread, I have admired your use of restraint and, indeed, followed your example (and it was difficult) and refrained from making the comments I wanted to make. I didn't want this to turn into the Peter Pepper thread all over again.

Our kitchen in our first home was a sunshiny yellow when we bought it and I thought I'd like it, but the kitchen faced west and that room always seemed too hot and too bright, and before long we were repainting and repapering it.

I am growing a squash similar to yours called Tahitian Melon (from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange) and mine is trellised on a fence so I should get the standard long, straight shapes with the bulbous end. (That's what I have so far.) However, mine keep trying to grow through the fence where they will, of course, get stuck in an opening and grow until the fence wire starts cutting into them. I'm constantly out there rearranging the squash, although I certainly have more urgent tasks that demand my time. Why is it so difficult for this kind of squash to just behave itself?

Dawn

Misbehaving squash! *eyeroll* They are worse than children!

Dawn, I googled your squash...does yours have that beautiful silver in the leaves? My zucchetta does. It is a very pretty plant.

Yes! It tasted pretty good - just a very slight hint of sweet.
I'm thinking that I might want to make an "apple" pie with mine (although it calls for 10 cups of sliced zucchini for one pie!)...what do you guys do with all of this?

Sharon

Here is a link that might be useful: Zucchini

I sauteed one of them tonight with polksa kielbasa and topped it with some Parmesan. It was very, very good. I like that it is not mushy.

Lisa

Sharon, oh, that looks interesting. The one I cooked up seemed to stay fairly firm. I would definitely slice it thin for your recipe.

I'm sure it would work well in zucchini bread and zucchini pancakes.

Lisa, Yes, it does have that kind of foliage. It is very pretty. I always try to plant the plants with the silvery mottling on foliage next to plants that have plain green leaves. That way, when they run together in one big mass, I can tell which plant is which and know which squash or pumpkins to look for in which area. The Tahitian Melon squash in the Three Sisters Garden currently runs rampant in an area about 30' long and 10' wide. It has a six-foot tall fence to climb. and another 30' feet of garden to meander its way through before it runs out of space. It was supposed to creep and crawl on the ground throughout the corn to keep the raccoons out. Instead it climbed the corn and latched onto the fence. However, the raccoons haven't bothered that corn. The Tahitian Melon squash started at the east end and is halfway to the west end.

In the main garden, I have it growing on the fence at the northwest corner of the garden where poison ivy and Virginia creeper always try to creep through the fence from the adjacent woodland. I figured that if anything could outgrow those two invaders, it would be this plant or Seminole. Seminole was already in the middle of the garden so I put Tahitian Melon squash at the NW end, but the Seminole now is making its way towards the northwest (and the east and south)in its relentless quest for world domination.

Sharon, With the Tahitian melon squash,e eat all we can, give them away, feed them to the chickens, feed them to the deer, feed them to the compost pile, etc. If you aren't going to preserve them, then one plant is all you need. In fact, it is more than you need, but you're stuck with them since it is impossible to grow half a plant. You use them the way you use any butternut squash, including to make pumpkin pies. It has a hard shell and will store for many months.

With tromboncino zucchetta like Lisa and Carol are growing, you harvest them small and use them like zucchini. You can shred them and freeze them and use them in zucchini bread, zucchini-chocolate cake and zucchini-chocolate-chip cookies.

Both of these generally outlive other squashes, zucchinis and winter squashes that are more vulnerable to SVBs.
Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: A Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Well...I'm not a big squash or zucchini eater - I like it raw, or maybe sauteed to crisp-tender - I am NOT big on mushy zucchini, so it's good to hear that the zucchetta is staying firm.

If I make an apple pie (which I might be inclined to do, should I receive any more of those l-o-n-g things), I'll let you guys know how it tastes!

Sharon

Apparently this topic was too hot for my kitchen as well :) I was making a sausage/zuchetta stirfry yesterday for my Sunday night Small Group (church) get together. It didn't make it to the group....it exploded all over my kitchen and dining room.

It had nothing to do with the fact that I placed the glass casserole dish over a turned on burner. Nope. It was that squash. It was too hot for company :)

We dined on Popeye's chicken instead.

Lisa

Lisa,

Oh no! I hope you weren't burned by exploding zuchetta.

Who knew that zuchetta could be dangerous?

Popeye's Chicken undoubtedly was a big hit though. Who doesn't love Popeye's Chicken?

Dawn

Sorry Lisa, I thought you knew it was dangerous. LOL

I walked down my garden walkway today and one hit me on the right shoulder as I passed by. I forgot about it on the way back and it slapped me on the left shoulder. Next time, I didn't have my hands full so I took that sucker down and I will cook him tomorrow, just because he hit my shoulder.

We love Popeye's and had it just last week when we went to Springdale AR. We don't have one close to us, but manage to go to one in Arkansas or Tulsa everytime we can.

Bad squash, bad squash! As I was standing barefoot in the center of the mess, I very quickly said "thank you" to whoever was smart enough to make bakeware glass break like safety glass! The second gratefulness was that, although there was plenty of butter in the dish, at least it wasn't soupy...or lasagna!!! Ewwww. I got it cleaned up pretty easily, although I'm noticing there is still a grease slick in one spot in the kitchen. I need to take the 409 back in that area and catch it before I take a flying trip through there in heels. I"m not the most graceful person to be put on this earth.

I do like the squash and I can see growing it again...and not for the novelty!! ;)

I'm learning to appreciate Popeye's. Musset loves it, it reminds him a little of home. I like it, he just likes it more. :)

Just for the record, I sliced "buttons" off of mine last night and sauteed them briefly in a teensy bit of olive oil, along with chopped mushrooms and red bell pepper, a chopped small onion, crumbled dried basil and some garlic - (onion, basil and garlic were from my garden). I let that cool and used it for topping my homemade pizza - DElicious! Who would think squash would work on a pizza? The buttons stayed firm and were quite tasty. :~)

Sharon