Friday, July 13, 2012

tromboncino squash invasion!


It has been a hot and dry week, and the summer crops love it. The tomatoes, peppers and squash are all  big, healthy, and full of fruit, but the growth of the 'trombone squash' is amazing.
I first read about zucchini tromboncino, aka zuchetta rampicante in an essay by Ray Magliozzi, one of the just retired "Car Talk' hosts on NPR, who is an ardent organic gardener. He wrote proudly of this Italian squash and it's enthusiastic growth habit.  The common names are wonderfully descriptive -- this is  indeed a a rampantly growing plant with trombone shaped fruit. According to my research the proper latin name is cucurbita moschata, and this makes it a kissing cousin of the winter butternut squash. 
 Both squash are vining, not bush selections, but beyond that they aren't much alike. The average butternut vine forms about 5 to 7 squash over a three month season, while the tromboncino can potentially form hundreds. 
I now know this as fact, not exaggeration, because I have two truly vigorous vines in my garden right now.  I have been pinching them back daily to contain their growth, and picking the strange (and tasty) long-necked fruit very young. But I definitely can't go out of town for a day or two-- they might take over! 
Here is a picture of the vines in innocent youth a month ago:



And here are the much contained (really) vines today:


Here's a fruit about the size I've been picking:


It is already a foot long and the flower has not yet finished blooming. At this stage the squash is pale green, seedless, and great as a vehicle to soak up flavor in curry, chili, chinese food, etcetera.  I like the firmer texture of green zucchini in bread.
And because I still love flowers (but only grow the easy ones now) here's a pic of the bouquet on my dining room table right now, featuring 'Pink Beauty' butterfly bush, 'Silk and Honey'  and "Becky Sharp' daylilies, and 'David' phlox.





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