Unknown Squash

[vfem]

So, I have no idea what these squash are. Someone gave me a pack of seeds and said they were butternut. I'm pretty sure they aren't. They're almost ripe and the shape and color is definitely wrong. They even have a very textured skin. Any idea what they may be, or if they're a mix and perhaps what they are mixed with.

I'm thinking I will try eating them, and I hope they taste good because I have about 10 out their ripening right now. All my melon and pumpkins failed this year so this is all I'm going to get.

 

[897tgigvib]

It kind of looks like a Cushaw Pumpkin.

Squash basically come in four species of Cucurbita the Genus name for Squash:

Pepo. These are regular orange jack o lantern pumpkins and the pie pumpkins obviously similar, regular zucchini, patty pans, acorn squashes, straight and crookneck summer squashes, and yes vegetable spaghetti, oh, and some of the small gourds, plus a bunch of others mostly easy to tell they belong in this species.

Maxima. These are the most diverse group, and almost all are winter squash. Giant pumpkins, butterCup, chioggia, turban, banana, and a whole bunch of others.

Moschata. These are the ButterNut squashes, the tromboncinos, the highly ribbed french and oriental pumpkins.

Mixta. (Botanists are changing this species name to argyosomethingerother). This is the least diverse species of Cucurbita. The Cushaw Pumpkins. They come in different color combinations and in variations of pear shape, and I hear one wild variety has skin over and on it that peels like bark. I think it may be the stem just grows down the fruit some, but that's one wild variety.

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I've grown Cushaws a couple of times. Their plants seem determined to successfully grow and produce. Most varieties are nice and pretty like a gourd. Some varieties I hear tell make good pie or dinner, other varieties were actually bred to feed hogs. They can go feral for a few years if they escape cultivation.

 

[baymule]

vfem, take a look at this

http://www.rareseeds.com/green-striped-cushaw-squa/

 

[897tgigvib]

...and these

http://shop.nativeseeds.org/collections/squash-cushaws

 

[vfem]

This looks like the most likely one... http://shop.nativeseeds.org/collections/squash-cushaws/products/ea028

...seeing I got this from someone with a diverse garden, she probably just mislabeled her stored squash seed.

These are SUPER thriving all over my garden. I keep finding more and more of them all the way into my grapevine with vines 20 feet long and growing!!! INSANE!

Anyways, good for pies and baking I hope. I will use them all if they are.




Ooooooooooooooh.... How do I know when they are ripe and I can pick them?! That picture was from almost 2 weeks ago. Its not huge, but its large and starting to lighten. I think that one may be ready possibly but not sure?

 

[journey11]

Could be a cross too. I had a similar experience with some seeds also labeled butternut, fairly resembling yours in the striping, but more elongated. They weren't sweet, so we didn't eat them. You can always use them in your fall decorations if nothing else!

 

[897tgigvib]

The "mixta" species of Squash will only cross with other mixta species Squash, in other words, one kind of Cushaw will only cross with another kind of Cushaw Squash.

I kind of think that evolutionarily the mixta species was the original species that the other species developed from in the past few million years. Or for the creationists, was the old kind before the flood that Noah's family brought on board...

From the mixtas developed as I guess, the very similar pepo species and probably the maxima species. Looks like from the diverse maxima species came the moschata species. I think that part, moschata and maxima being very near and close because down in Argentina researchers have found a way to cross moschata with maxima.

Each of the Squash species has a different number of chromosomes but they carry nearly identical genes. Ahhh population genetics. I love it even if I'm not smart enough to understand all the genetics parts of it.

I notice that some plants are so close to the wild versions that they can revert back to the wild version in just a few generations without folks carefully selecting for the details.

 

[seedcorn]

If cushaw, think pumpkin taste. Loved them except it takes army to eat one.