Squash Surprise

When I think of squash, I think of orange mush that my mother tried to make at Thanksgiving that was loaded with butter and brown sugar.  It was a source of dread between my brother and me, or at least that's how I remember it.  I have to give the woman credit for trying, but she gave squash a bad name.

I still shudder when I think of squash today but I've learned that squash is a diverse and delectable vegetable.

Here's the 411 on squash as I know it:

Delicata:  A friend of mine told me it tastes like french fries.  I didn't believe her but it actually does in a healthy sort of way.  Delicata is sweet and delicious.  I cut it lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and then chop it into half an inch or thinner sections.  I put it in a container and add a little olive oil, black pepper, and a sprinkle of salt.  I shake it up to get everything coated and then I bake it on 400 degrees for about 25 or so minutes.  Delicious.  Seeds can be hard to find so make sure you look around.

Pumpkins:  I used a hybrid jack-o-lantern last year and it did quite well despite being a less than desirable year weather wise.  We just use them for carving so it's all the same to me if it's a Franken-pumpkin.

Ronde de Nice:  We call this "round zucchini."  I think it's actually a French summer pumpkin but whatever.  These need to be picked when they are small or they can be bitter tasting and will have super thick gross skin.  If you pick them while you can easily grip it with your hand, it will be a nice treat for sauteing on a night when you grill something.  My kids used to like it better than regular zucchini but I've let it get too big and now they have squash PTSD and don't want it.  

Spaghetti Squash:  I just started growing these about two years ago.  Spaghetti squash can be eaten by itself as a side vegetable in a meal or it can be used for.....wait for it....spaghetti noodles.  Obviously not as good as real noodles, in my opinion, but if you can't have gluten or follow Weight Watchers or itrack bites, it can be a huge points saver.

Zucchini:  This is another one that you have to pick early.  Pick them when they are about the size you see them at the store, there's a reason for that size.  If they get too big they seem to lose a lot of their nice flavor.  If you are going to shred them up and make zucchini bread, the size is moot.  We usually let one or two grow to capacity at the end of each season.  We've had some real "Mongo" zucchinis as we call them.

Growing squash is usually pretty easy.  Your only issues are going to be blossom rot or a systematic attack from squash vine borers.  Blossom rot is when the flower on the end of a new fruit that rots and the fruit turns to mush.  In my experience, this is because we are watering too much.  We cut back on the water and it always gets better.  The squash vine borer is a heinous monster, as the name suggests.  Adult borers lay eggs at the base of the plant, the eggs hatch, and the larva bore their way into the stem.  Once they are inside the plant, they continue to bore and it kills the plant.  You can avoid this by waiting until mid-July to plant your squash, you can wrap the base of your plant with foil (this prevents them from being able to bore into the stem,) or you can just plant your plants and try to cut off areas where you know there is a borer.  I usually do the later and it works pretty well.  You know there is a squash vine borer in there when a leaf wilts or turns yellow.  If you cut it open, you will usually find your borer.  I like to cut them in half just to make an example to all the other squash vine borers.  It hasn't worked out so far for me.  

Frank (not his real name) with a Mongo zucchini, 2016