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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCan anyone help me identify this 'mystery' squash??
The plant suddenly appeared, growing from beneath a shrub in front of my garage. I assume it sprouted from a stray seed but this is unlike any squash I've ever bought. The fruit is about 10" long. It looks like a spaghetti squash, except for the bumpy surface. I love squash and want to harvest it, but damn. I'm just making sure it isn't from some alien seed planted by a space alien. Ok, it probably germinated out of some animal poop, but I can't seem to find anything like it, on line.
chillfactor
(7,587 posts)Siwsan
(26,315 posts)I live in a very multi-ethnic neighborhood, so maybe somebody bought some very non-native squash and the birds or squirrels got ahold of the seeds.
roody
(10,849 posts)Marthe48
(17,087 posts)How long is it?
Siwsan
(26,315 posts)At first I thought it might be a sweet dumpling, but then it went wild.
Marthe48
(17,087 posts)and find out that way.
If the squash came from a GMO seed, it could be ANYTHING!
Siwsan
(26,315 posts)I grow summer squash in the back, but NOTHING even remotely resembles this. It's like a bumpy spaghetti squash.
forest444
(5,902 posts)Just don't fall asleep next to it.
Siwsan
(26,315 posts)And make the cats sleep on the foot of my bed, just in case.
forest444
(5,902 posts)Just can't be too careful anymore.
Seriously though. I bet they're delicious; something in the spaghetti squash family perhaps?
Siwsan
(26,315 posts)I'd love it if it was because I am very fond of spaghetti squash.
forest444
(5,902 posts)Delicata squash - or some variety of it. Great for roasting!
Siwsan
(26,315 posts)I do have a nice Delicata squash in my squash basket. Almost used it tonight, but I opted for an Acorn Squash, instead.
I'd be thrilled if this strange one tastes half as lovely as a Delicata.
forest444
(5,902 posts)My Italian great-grandmother, God rest her, would be most disappointed.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Siwsan
(26,315 posts)saltpoint
(50,986 posts)Just a guess.
Siwsan
(26,315 posts)I've ever heard of poison squash but I will be doing a tiny taste test, first.
saltpoint
(50,986 posts)college/university horticulture department, maybe stop in real quick and see if anybody can identify it.
Siwsan
(26,315 posts)And they have master gardeners there, too.
Galileo126
(2,016 posts)They come with and without bumps.
Looks awesome! Let's eat!!
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)FSogol
(45,579 posts)Siwsan
(26,315 posts)Haven't seen it in years, but it scared the mumbles out of me, when I was a kid.
FSogol
(45,579 posts)Nay
(12,051 posts)squash. From what I understand, no one harvests seeds from hybrid squash because the plants from those seeds will revert to one of the original squash plants that went into making the hybrid. That means that this squash has a funny fruit but, maybe a resistance to rot. The other squash that was in the hybrid's makeup had great fruit, but had horrible resistance. Cross the two, get good fruit AND resistance.
I'm no doc and don't take my word for it, but I bet it's perfectly edible.
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)I am an Agricultural major and work in Horticulture. If it was green then it could be an Asian bitter melon, what with the bumps.
I would harvest it. It will probably taste blah as sports of hybrids normally do. But there is always the chance that the genes arranged in a way producing a superior fruit.
Before hybridization the were countless varieties of squash.
Binkie The Clown
(7,911 posts)I let the bees cross pollinate them as much as they want, and the seeds I save give me all kinds of strange varieties that don't even have names. Squash are quick to cross and give birth to loads of offspring of strange types. Yours looks a lot like many of the crosses I've grown. I can't give you a name, because it may not have one, and I can't tell what I crossed to get it, because the bees take of that detail.
(BTW: Have you seen the original "Body Snatcher?" Better keep a close eye on it. )
Siwsan
(26,315 posts)Now I am really anxious to give it a taste.
I'll be on my guard when I harvest it, though. One false move or screeching sound, and I'm outta there!
Binkie The Clown
(7,911 posts)I never tasted a bizarre cross-pollinated squash that I didn't like. Sometimes they don't have much flavor, but they're always edible. Although, if you cross with a gourd they can be too tough to east.
Siwsan
(26,315 posts)I also grow my own fresh herbs and garlic so I can doctor up the bland into the scrumptious.
Nay
(12,051 posts)rurallib
(62,477 posts)but i am provably the last person who would know.
jpak
(41,760 posts)Joanie Baloney
(1,357 posts)smooth-skinned squash develop bumps as they get older.
Its important to harvest the yellow crookneck squash before its fully grown as their skins are still soft and they taste better. The longer they are left to grow, the tougher their skin becomes and this is when they develop bumps on their skin.
http://sumogardener.com/yellow-squash-with-bumps-on-skin/
Peel off the skin, and enjoy!!
-JB
pkdu
(3,977 posts)Siwsan
(26,315 posts)I really thought it was going to be a sweet dumpling because, at first, it kind of resembled that 'acorn' shape. And the blossoms didn't appear until August.
Sanity Claws
(21,863 posts)Or maybe delicata squash
CentralMass
(15,265 posts)Retrograde
(10,175 posts)and squashes, cucumbers, and melons can interbreed - it takes a lot of care to keep squash plants protected so they breed true. The tendrils and the little fruit in the background make me think there's some cucumber in its recent ancestry.
It's most likely some random result of cross-pollination: it may be tasty, it may not be. The only way to know is to open it and try some. It is pretty, though.
Siwsan
(26,315 posts)Thanks!
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)I'd say, roast it at 375 degrees, put a little brown sugar on it, and hope for the best.
Siwsan
(26,315 posts)I'm baking some acorn squash, right now. I do love squash.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)so we end up eating a lot of squash in the wintery months.
Some are better than others. I haven't found a really good way to do the acorn squashes, myself, that doesn't have them come out all bland. But Delicatas can be quite tasty.
Siwsan
(26,315 posts)One of my favorites is the sweet dumpling squash.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)MFM008
(19,827 posts)So it's safe.
Sophiegirl
(2,338 posts)It is, in fact, a delectica squash. Not all delecticas sport the green stripes. I simply cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and drizzle with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Bake until tender. It is oh so good!!
I have one sitting on my counter as I type.
Siwsan
(26,315 posts)I could eat squash, just about every night.
Motley13
(3,867 posts)iemitsu
(3,888 posts)Cut it open and find out.
Response to Siwsan (Original post)
kestrel91316 This message was self-deleted by its author.
Siwsan
(26,315 posts)Just no stripes, but apparently that isn't a 'squash requirement'.
It is BIG - at least 10" long. If it is tasty, I'm going to save some seeds for next year.
IcyPeas
(21,931 posts)I saw these at my farmers market recently and asked. they can be greenish or yellow ish.
https://bonnieplants.com/growing/growing-bitter-melon/
Siwsan
(26,315 posts)CTyankee
(63,926 posts)It will be delicious.
Siwsan
(26,315 posts)If it is a sweet squash and I grill it, the caramelized sugar would really give it an interesting flavor.
I should throw a squash tasting party.
CTyankee
(63,926 posts)Siwsan
(26,315 posts)And that is usually just when I have dinner guests.
malaise
(269,254 posts)msanthrope
(37,549 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)msanthrope
(37,549 posts)malaise
(269,254 posts)appleannie1
(5,074 posts)by some type of virus in the soil.
Why is My Squash Bumpy? You are in the zucchini patch and see that the squash is warty looking and knotty. This leads to the question, why is my squash bumpy? Squash are cucurbits and fall in a family that includes cucumbers, melons and pumpkins. Fruits in the cucurbit family are plagued by several different viruses, which can cause lumpy squash plants. Usually the foliage goes unaffected for quite some time, while the forming fruits get knots and bumps in the skin. The texture of smooth skinned squashes is rough and patchy. Some of the diseases that cause these symptoms are viruses found in soil and some come from insect vectors.
Read more at Gardening Know How: Yellow Bumpy Squash: Why Is My Squash Bumpy http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/squash/yellow-bumpy-squash.htm
Solly Mack
(90,798 posts)That looks like a straightneck summer squash to me.
Response to Solly Mack (Reply #57)
kestrel91316 This message was self-deleted by its author.
Solly Mack
(90,798 posts)Saffron Summer Squash, for example, has slight groves that run lengthwise.
Could also be a hybrid.
Skittles
(153,261 posts)YOU KNOW I WOULD DO THAT FOR YOU MY SWEET
Siwsan
(26,315 posts)It is unlike any squash I've ever seen. Maybe the squirrel that pooped out the seed was on steroids!!
yardwork
(61,748 posts)I WANT SOME OF THAT ASS KICKING SKITTLES LOVE. I do.
appleannie1
(5,074 posts)Siwsan
(26,315 posts)At first it had a slightly elongated acorn squash shape. And it was cream colored until just recently, when it turned yellow. I've got some overgrown yellow squash in the veg garden and there is no similarity. I've been planting many varieties of summer and winter squash, over the past 10 years, and none ever looked like this one. Which is why my theory is that the seed it germinated from was pooped out by a squirrel on steroids.
nolabear
(42,001 posts)I must not be living right.
Siwsan
(26,315 posts)I'm a little blown away, too, but I've gotten some fantastic and much appreciated information. And now I will feel comfortable walking past the plant without arming myself with a stick.
nolabear
(42,001 posts)drthais
(870 posts)I say pick it and eat it....
squash is squash, when you get right down to it
and no, it isn't a weird alien thing
ps: we are farmers....trust me - its fine
Siwsan
(26,315 posts)But since I'm in the township and use a well, I'll just accept it is a strange looking 'where the heck did THAT come from' sort of squash.
NickB79
(19,283 posts)They'll cross breed with just about anything remotely resembling them.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)Warpy
(111,417 posts)It could also be a variety of gourd, in which case the flesh won't be very good and the skin will be thicker.
There are toxic squashes out there, also, with flesh containing a lot of cucurbitacin, something all edible squashes contain in small amounts. In the toxic squashes, the substance will make the flesh bitter and nasty. Eating enough bitter, nasty, toxic squash will result in severe GI cramping and diarrhea with dehydration and a spike in liver enzymes. Some deaths have been reported.
I'd probably give it a miss just on general principles. I'd also harvest it and toss it just so it wouldn't be attractive to kids.
brooklynite
(94,911 posts)...and you might figure out who killed Vince Foster.
doc03
(35,431 posts)from The Invation of the Body Snatchers. Don't go to sleep.
applegrove
(118,880 posts)vessels when dried. They have bumps on them like what is pictured. We had a bowl of various gourds as a centrepiece on the dinning room table for years. The same ones year after year. They just got dryer and dryer as the years went by. My mom liked old time things like that. We never cut them open. I think that is what we all ate out of 10,000 years ago.
Response to Siwsan (Original post)
applegrove This message was self-deleted by its author.
Drahthaardogs
(6,843 posts)I think that is a melon cucumber. There are italian and asian varieties.
Vinca
(50,323 posts)Every so often a freak of nature like yours turns up in my garden. Oddly, it seems to mostly come from the yellow squash. Maybe the bees cross pollinate the plant from a pumpkin plant or cucumber or something.