Winter Squash

[fzjohnson]

Has anyone discovered (as I did by accident) that their Winter Squash varieties taste better when immature? I accidentally stood on the stalk of one of my just about full-sized Hubbard (Burgess) & decided I’d better eat it as a softer version of its pumpkin self,… only to realize that I prefer the immature flavour & texture to the mature ones! How I wish I’d harvested them all earlier.
Are other varieties better when full size but not hardened or dense inside (ie. Seeds not fully ripe inside)? Has anyone tried kuri in its youth?

[Kiwioldgirl]

Hi There
We roasted a Kuri squash at the end of August. It was quite green looking inside the skin and hadn’t developed the sweet nutty flavour they have. It also took a long time to roast. We didn’t like it at all

[fzjohnson]

Kiwioldgirl, perhaps it is only the thicker fleshed squash that tastes better?

I am going to take up the Real Seeds Company challenge and attempt to breed my own cultivar.

Has anyone else done this before (in this forum)? I imagine the lack of weeds would increase the yield weight through nutrient availability, which can only help. My two varieties this year had very dense fruit and what seemed to me to be extremely plump seeds. I realise it was a very good season this year for pumpkins.

[charles]

Best of luck fz.
And yes Kiwioldgirl, you simply harvested it immature. The skins need to be hard, usually strong coloured and with drying stalks, leaves dying too. Mostly October.

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