Everything is still wet from our storms that just ended last night and I'm being a bit chatty here rather than hit any outside chores. Besides. I'm planning to start my squash seeds in the next week for planting out May and I'm digging out my notes and packets, making choices. For Summer Squash, the favorites that I'm planning and have all grown a few seasons are:
• Zephyr F1, Cucurbita pepo, bush style – Productive for me, handles my climate and the yellow means it won't get lost in the leaves and is easy to harvest. Mild with a very thin skin. Also, pretty and that counts a tad when sharing the harvest.
• Sunburst Scallop hybrid Cucurbita pepo, bush style, AAS winner – another yellow
. This one is good small and raw in salads or just quartered with salad dressing, crunchy and a tad nutty. Larger cooked in every way you can make summer squash is fine. The larger ones in this shot were slotted for zucchini bread.
• Cocozelle heirloom, bush style – I don't like the all green / dark green as they can get lost in the growth and with as hot as the sun is here, the fruit would burn if I trim the leaves and grow it up as some folks do. The stripes are a nice effect and makes them a bit easier to spot. This shape fits in the shoot for the food processor to shred or slice without any cutting first, a boon when zuke season is upon us. I also enjoy its mild flavor.
• Tromboncino heirloom (moschata, some like for resistance to SVB), vining large plant. This is fun and productive (perhaps too productive). The very small ones should only be harvested right before cooking as they'll get wrinkly and look old within a day. I let these all grow bigger – even large they have a good flavor and remain moist – not chewy or tough. I prefer this one for that mock apple pie filling. Great for breakfast with a bit of yogurt. It's also great if you like to share your summer harvest and have friends and neighbors who enjoy something a bit different.
I don't separate zucchini recipes from other summer squash recipes. They're all the same for me.
For those of you growing Summer Squash, what are your favorites and why?
.ps some of these are older shots I discovered when browsing my pics.
