Delicata and Pink Banana Squash Seedlings. 5.12.2021

 About a week ago, reading about squashes, I decided to plant some Delicata squash seeds.  Delicata is a pepo species squash, so on saving seeds will need isolation from Zukes which are also pepos.

One seed germinated from the packet.  I dont think they were all that old.   Maybe two or three years?  Anyway, where one seed germinates, there is hope and that can be all it takes.

One of the Pink Banana Squash attempts has finally yielded seedlings.  This is from seeds that I saved from last year's plants.  No way to know until the fruits form, if they are pure PBS.  My home saved seeds were bigger and plumper than those I bought in previous years.  Maybe that's a factor.  If the newest ones or other attempts grow, I'll also plant those seedlings.

PBS is a maxima species squash, so last years squash might have mixed with Kuri, Galeux, or Kabucha which were nearby at the time.   Those genetics will be easy to spot, if that is the case.

This is potentially a good squash year.  I already have seedlings I the ground, growing vigorously.  I didn't expect that for two or three more weeks.

Planting Squash, Pumpkin, Zucchini Seeds. 4.27.2021

Last night I planted squash family plant seeds.  Zucchinis, winter squash, and pumpkins.  I finally learned to write the year seeds were bought, on the front of the seed packet.  These are largely known good performers - Pink Banana Squash, Red Kuri Squash, Galeus d'Eysines Pumpkin (Squash), plus last year the Illinois Squash was good.  Not sure about the variety Gete-Okosomin,,  Nativbe American variety which has a. probably false, legend of the seeds having been found in a clay ball in an 800 year old archeological site.  The Zucchinis are heirloom types, so I can save the seeds.  The one exception is "Sure Thing" hybrid which I bought last year and didn't plant.

This year the plan is to cover flowers to avoid insect pollination, and hand pollinate so that each variety is "pure" so that I can save my own seeds.

Squash. Also Don't Use Pyrex to Roast a Squash. 1.4.2021

 This is a Pink Banana Squash.  There were a couple of good ones this year.  This one needed roasting, so it doesn't get a chance to spoil.  This one was about 5 pounds.

I tried roasting it at about 375 for an hour.  Then I heard a loud noise from the oven.  The squash slices were in Pyrex casserole pans.  I've used them many times.  This time, one exploded.  Glass shards embedded in roasted squash all over the oven.  I had to take it apart to remove the glass and clean it.  Of course the squash was also ruined, with glass shards in the roasted squash flesh.

Fortunately I have one remaining Pink Banana Squash to roast.  This time I will use earthenware oven pans.

Squash Harvest. 9.18.2020

 I decided to harvest all of the squashes today.  The stems were dry and woody, so that tells me it's time.   This was a nice harvest, and some are new types that I never grew before. I regret a little bit not isolating the blossoms and hand pollinating each with its own variety, but at the time that wasn't an option.  I also did not realize how much I wanted to save seeds this year.

There are some new types - the Red Kuri Japanese squash produced quite a number of small, acorn-squash or larger size squashes.  The Japanese Kobucha squash, on the other hand, made only one.   The Pink Banana Squash made two very large and several small to large squashes, but one large one was vole-chewed and developed rot as a result.  No waste - that went to chickens who will eat the squash and its seeds.  That's OK, I got mine too.  Then my other favorite is the Galeux d'Eysines pumpkin (Apparently "Galeux" means scruffy or scabious) - beautiful pumpkin and makes really good pies.  So does Pink Banana Squash, which is special because my great aunt Emma gave me seeds to this one 55 years ago, I grew them and my mom used them to make pies.  These seeds were from Baker Creek heirloom seeds.  

 There are also some summer squashes, which will be used in a couple of weeks, and the two big stripy  / green  ones are heirloom Italian Zucchinis that I am saving for seeds.  I hope the progeny are not a tasteless mix, so next Spring I'll grow one from the old packet as well.  The big white one is "Illinois Squash" which I've never eaten and which I don't know what it will be like.

Those yellow summer squash are incredible good prepared as follows.  Slice into French Fry shape slices.  Don't try to skin them first, the skin is tender and cooks even more tender.  Dust the slices with season salt, pepper, garlic powder, maybe some pepper flakes.  Drizzle with vegetable or olive oil, stir, then air fry 400 F, 8 minutes, toss, air fry for another 8 minutes.  The best breakfast or snack you can have. 

 You can also do that with Zucchinis.

Squash Harvest. 9.25.18

I harvested the squashes.  This is plenty for us.  The largest is "Pink Banana Squash" which I love for the flavor and amount produced.  The small pumpkins are "Winter Luxury Pumpkin".  The butternut squashes turned out small.  In my garden, they don't do as well.  The others were volunteers, likely crosses of summer squash or zucchini, with pumpkins.

More Pumpkins & Squashes. Persimmons. 9.28.16

Pumpkins and Squashes.  9.28.16

If there's a famine this winter and we have to live on pumpkins and squashes, here we are.  Here are some more that I harvested this week.   The big pumpkin is Golias Pumpkin, and the squash on my knee is a Pink Banana squash.  The flatter pumpkins are Rouge Vif D' Etampes Pumpkins, and the smaller squashes are Butternut and Spaghetti squashes.

Nikita's Gift persimmon is looking great.   Waiting for the rest to ripen.  Beautiful tree and beautiful fruit.

Saijo is not as attractive and doesn't have as many, but it looks like there will be a taste of that persimmon too.

Ripening Saijo Persimmons.  9.28.54

Nikita's Gift Persimmon.  9.28.16

Pink Banana Squash. 11.30.15

Ning, Pink Banana Squash, Long Island Cheese Pumpkin.
  Earlier this fall.

Now cooking up Pink Banana Squash. If I remember correctly, this was 16 pounds. The Long Island Cheese pumpkin was a little less. We cooked one of the pumpkins already. The first step is cut it open. A cleaver and rubber mallet seemed like the safest approach. Lots of flesh. Lots of seeds to roast. 2nd step, scoop out seeds, place on baking pan, add a cup of water, cover the end with aluminum foil, and bake for 1 hour, until a fork easily pierces the skin.

Out of the oven, one hour  at 350F.

After cooling  to almost room temp.  Soft, tender flesh scoops out easily with a large spoon. 

Scoop into food processer and briefly puree. I'm not certain this is needed, the flesh is very tender.

After this, I set aside 2 cups for a pumpkin pie. The rest is frozen in 2 cup portions for future baking. I either place them in glass containers with tightly sealed top, or heat-sealed freezer sealer bags that vacuum out all of the air.

Squashes

 Since I did not know which squashes would do well, I planted multiple varieties.  Pumpkins are just orange round squashes. 

No use growing all one type when it's so easy to sample all sorts.

I did not know the summer would be so hot.  Expecting cool climate, I started the squash plants indoors, and planted when the soil was warm.  In order to keep the soil warm, I did not mulch.   I did not get them all into the ground as quickly as i wanted, and some were delayed.  But most did very well.

All can be cooked in similar ways.  We usually roast them.  Some can be baked to soften, then puree for pies.  My favorite last year was Waltham butternut squash, made into pie.  I do have one of those that is not yet ripe.

I like just looking at them.

The largest was Pink Banana Squash.  18 pounds.

Ning is holding a Pink Banana Squash, and a Long Island Cheese Pumpkin.  Expect some taste testing this winter.

No use saving seeds from these.   Most are cross pollinated, most by Zucchinis which had the most male flowers.  I might grow one or two for novelty but with the cross pollination, none are expected to be true next year.

Still, a squash is a squash.  So I would expect any to be edible, even if they look strange.

Random Observations. 9.13.15

August-Planted Beans.  9.13.15

Chinese Chive Seedlings, One Year.  9.13.15

Random observations around the yard.

I don't know if the beans that I planted in August will reach bearing before first.  It's worth a try and doesn't hurt anything.  If the frost kills them, the plants will be turned into the soil and improve tilth and soil nutrition.

The Chinese chives that I planted from seeds last fall, made nice little plant bunches.  No where near the harvest or bloom stage.  Probably next year.  These were planted on the surface in a planter box, left outside over winter, then kept sheltered this year.   Taking them out of the planter was like removing a cake from a cake pan.  Then I sliced the seedling bunches into 8 "pieces of cake" and planted in the bee forage bed, last week.  I imagine they will bulk up and bloom next year.

I'm leaving the sweet corn stalks in place to improve soil.  I cut the tops off and chipped into pieces a few inches long, then left them at the soil surface.   The buckwheat seedlings have grown around them.  This is less like "Three Sisters" garden than "Two Sisters and a Friend" since I didn't include beans but have added buckwheat.

Corn Stalks, Buckwheat, Squashes.  9.13.15

Pink Banana Squash.  9.13.15

 Itching to harvest pink banana squash.  This one grew really big.  Not quite ready - stem isn't dry yet.

Chinese Beans - seed saving.  9.13.15

Meyer Lemon.  9.13.15

Ning's beans didn't do so well  A few have tiny beans.  I don't know if those will make it to harvest before first frost, either.  These two are the only ones that made it to seed-saving stage.  If they grow, that will be 5 plants next year.  If those produce 5 pods of 5 seeds each, that will give 25 the following year, and then we are in business.  A genetic bottleneck but with beans that should be OK.

It's possible some of the old packets of Chinese bean seeds are still viable.  Getting to the end of those.  See next year what happens.

Meyer lemon looks good.  Should be more lemons than I need.  They are expected to ripen next year.