A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum Vegetable Gardening Crookneck/Pumpkin hybrid squash?

I planted Yellow Crookneck and Pumpkins in my garden last year...pumpkin in the northwest corner, squash in the southeast corner, of my 25x40 foot garden. This year, I found what I thought was a volunteer squash growing amongst my Okra, but decided to leave it there, because I love Crooknecks so much. The plant is about 3 times larger than the crooknecks that I planted from seed this year, and doesn't vine. I notice a small, elongated pumpkin looking fruit a couple of weeks ago, and decided it had to be a volunteer pumpkin, not a crookneck. I left it alone to see how it would grow, since last years pumpkins had all rotted on the vine before getting larger than a softball. I just went out there today and found that same elongated fruit, about 9 inches long and 6 inches tall and YELLOW...with the skin of a crookneck! There was also a smaller one that wasn't quite yellow yet that I also picked. I figure I'll chop them up and see how they taste.

Did my pumpkins and crooknecks cross pollinate across my garden last year? I had terrible troubles last year with both of them, withering and rotting on vine...could that be why? I don't know how to post a picture of it, but I took one to show. Any ideas what it will taste like? lol

Connie

I have now found out how to post a photo. I've decided to name this guy a squashkin lol



Is this what happens when a crookneck has a fleeting and meaningless rondezvous with a pumpkin?

Connie

I didn't think it looked too odd until I noticed the lenght, and then imagined it's width! that is some crazy thing you have there.
more pic's when you cut her open???

Guess you had some cross pollination going there, Connie.

cool pic,let us know if it tastes more like one than the other.

I've got two. This gargantuan, plus one other about 1/2 its size or less, and still light green. I will take pics of the inside, save some seeds for next spring to see if it will grow again, and let you know how it tastes. If it tastes good, and the seeds (if it has any) are viable, I'll plant it again in the garden next year...maybe I won't get flooded and mudded out next year :)

Connie

Well, after much deliberating and delicious taste testing (this is fun, by the way)... I have decided that it doesn't quite taste like Yellow Crookneck, but is definitely not pumpkin in flavor. When you cut it open, it smells like watermelon rind. Raw, it tastes very mellow, not 'squashy' at all. I sauteed some in butter with garlic and pepper...very nice. The behemoth, while it wasn't woody like squash get when they are too big and it's quite thin skinned, did take a while to tender up in the pan, but I'm thinking stuffed squash, with an italian sausage and sauce stuffing and baked for the bigger ones, and either raw or steamed or sauteed for the smaller ones. Now, then...where did I hide that stuffed squash recipe?.....


Photo forthcoming :)

connie