Every Thanksgiving when I see the assortment of pumpkins and squash
available to me, I wish I had planted more winter squash to store.
I like squash, but my argument every Spring is that I don't have room for
a lot of vining crops. Maybe you don't share my regret. Rather
you are one of those people who rank squash right up there with turnips
and rutabagas. In general, squash has been relegated not to
a back seat, but to that third removable seat. It's really too bad.
Squash are easy to grow, very prolific and lend themselves to a wide variety
of recipes from side dishes, to soups, to pies. Take a look around
the produce aisle and check out the variety even your local supermarket
has to offer. (As further testament that squash has fallen out of
favor, most of the squash sold comes with instructions on what to do with
it.)
Squash all belong to the cucurbitaceae family, along with melons and cucumbers. The winter or hard shelled, long storage squash generally belong within the maxima, mixta, moschata and pepo species. Squash within the same species will cross pollinate with one another, so remember to either control pollination or grow only one type within an area, when saving seed.
As you think about planning next year's garden, consider some of these gems from grandma's garden.
Acorn Squash c. pepo Acorns are one of the more popular squashes, perhaps because they look like individual servings. Table Queen is the variety most often grown. The dark green fruits are ribbed and actually do look like large acorns. The flesh is a golden yellow and very sweet, with a dry texture. It's usually dressed up with butter and maybe brown sugar. It's also great stuffed. Try the Harvest Baked Squash recipe from "thrive online". The Ebony Acorn is thought to have come to us from the Arikara Indians. The fruits are smaller than the common Acorn Squash, with greenish-black skin and very sweet, yellow flesh. These can also be used immature as summer squash. Expect Acorns to store for 1-2 months.
Banana Squash c. maxima Sometimes called a pink banana squash because the shell is a beautiful salmon-pink while growing. It turns a dark peach color when ready to be harvested. In contract, the flesh is a bright orange with very few seeds. Bananas will keep in storage for 3-6 months.
Buttercup Squash c. maxima This is still a fairly popular squash, especially for baking. Their
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