The Mystery of the Zero-Irrigation Squash

...h near our raised beds, and we let them grow, because we wanted to eat the baby squash as we would zucchini–it’s good that way. We also didn’t think the vines would last very long without water. Well, they did. We couldn’t keep up with the baby squash (they’re so good at hiding) and ended up with a harvest of big, bland squash. Again. (The squash is a hybrid, by the way. They look like Tromboncino, but are bigger than the Tromboncinos we had last...

Read…

My Big Fat Greek Squash

...umpkin, but tasted a lot better than most pumpkin I’ve had. We roasted one squash to make squash tortellini among other dishes. The best recipe, however, was for a savory winter squash pie (galette) out of Mark Bittman’s book How to Cook Everything Vegetarian (thanks to Bruce of the Green Roof Growers for suggesting this book). Bittman’s spicy winter squash galette recipe is here on MSNBC along with a video of him making it. I’ll note that the onl...

Read…

What Does Tromboncino Squash Taste Like?

...ew squashes in the Cucurbita moschata family that is harvested as a summer squash Tromboncino as winter squash. I think of tromboncino as the new zucchini. It has a sweeter flavor than zucchini and the long neck is always free of seeds. As a winter squash it’s passable, but somewhat bland. If you’ve got the room to let this thing sprawl (ours is over 25 feet long) you’ll find it more productive than zucchini. I planted seeds in April, transplanted...

Read…

Mutant Squash

...ut there are many different varieties of squash, everything from butternut squash to spaghetti squash to various inedible gourds, so you can get some very freaky mutant cross-breeds. Results of these hybrids can be unpredictable. with accidental squash hybrids tending to get tough. But some hybrids are a crap shoot that pays off. The SurviveLA compound has wild cherry tomatoes that have self-seeded for years with excellent results–producing some o...

Read…

In August, Way Too Much Squash

...ash has lived up to its name, having grown rapidly, producing tasty summer squash with a zucchini-like flavor and consistency. Unfortunately, all squash that we have grown here has been subject to powdery mildew, a white fungus that spreads rapidly across the leaves of the plant. Our coastal climate, with hot days and cool, moist nights is not the optimal growing climate for squash, which prefer dryer conditions. We’re not big on spraying stuff (e...

Read…