That's a big squash ...

           The squash matches my walls?!   It is a Candy Roaster Squash, one of a variety of similiar winter squashes related to the Pink Banana Squash that call Southern Appalachia home.  Like the Cuccuzzi that we talked about here for summer, this squash is enough to feed a family with a single squash, but you may want to just make several pies and don't tell the kids its a veggie!  While this is a winter squash and you can keep it whole if properly cool and dry, I prefer to can it, since it is just the one (we bought ours from Jack-O-Lantern Farm at the Greene St. Market last week), and I'm not sure I want to give up the guest room for it.

        Now to putting it up... First, decide how many quarts you will need.... uh oh.  That's a gallon jar, I'm going to need several quarts.

          I'll cut the squash in half crossway, then longways to expose the seed.  Scrape the seed and roast in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes or so til tender.  I'll mash and then pressure can in quart jars.  I'm going to save some out for a pie now that the weather is turning cooler.  Hmm.. I may end up freezing some too, might be too much for one canning session and not enough for a second. 

It's a really big squash!

Cucuzzi - Feed a Family with One Fruit!

       Here is a great plant for vertical gardening. This gourd does grow fast and long. I pruned ours to keep it within the bounds of its area and it did not mind at all. This gourd needs sun, we planted it at a defined shade line and it grew totally toward the sun side. With 20' of growth on one side and 1' on the shade side. Though it is a consistant producer, we were not overwhelmed with numbers. We had zero issues with insects or diseases. Squash and stink bugs stayed away although they were feeding nearby. We had a great harvest from 2 seeds. We covered the plant for several freezes and pulled the last gourds at Christmas.

      Potential sites includes arbors, fences, or perhaps trellising against a south wall to provide shade. Give this one room to run or train it to grow along the fence or arbor. Ours grew up and out of a tomato cage and along the ground and then climbed another cage 8' away. The bed width where we tried the plant is 4', to maintain access I pruned the plant 2x during the growing season. The cucuzzi took the hint and tried to stay inbounds and grew along the bed very nicely.

       Our favorite way to eat them is to cut them into 1/2" squares, stirfry in olive oil with a little salt and pepper. We think it tastes like a bite of meat. We often include it in dishes, but this one can stand alone on the plate. One gourd can make several meals.    

     Ours came from Lincoln, AL where they are simply called "Long Gourd" cucuzzi.  Also known as Hercules's Club and other imaginative names.

Lagenaria siceraria -- Vine growth is very vigorous. Leaves are large with a soft, velvety texture. Leaf margins are irregular but not lobed. Tendrils are long and forked. Vines have a musky scent. Flowers, which are perched on long, slender stems and have a sweet scent, bloom only at night and are pollinated by moths. Fruit size varies from medium small to very large. The mostly thin-shelled fruit can be dried to form a mostly empty shell. Seed size and color is too variable to delineate.  (from Commercial Production and Management of Pumpkins and Gourds Edited by William Terry Kelley, Extension Horticulturist  David B. Langston, Jr., Extension Plant Pathologist)

Recipe time!

Yep, now that it's too late for Thanksgiving, here's a quick and easy recipe featuring my favorite of the moment- Butternut squash

These keep really well and grow nearly unmolested by bugs and such. 
Ingredients for a simple sweet side dish:
Butternut squash - peeled and cubed into bite size pieces (seeds and skin bits to the compost).  Maple Syrup.

Bake the squash at 350 degrees until beginning to be tender.  Drizzle with syrup and continue baking about 10 minutes until tender.  Serve warm.

Simple enough?   And quick too!    Use a bar type peeler if you have it.  If the peeling is really frustrating... cut squash in half, remove seeds with spoon and place face down in baking pan.  Pour in a little water and bake at 300 degrees until tender.  Scoop out flesh and put the shell and seeds into the compost pile.  Put the squash in a pan and mash with the maple syrup.