Thursday, October 17, 2013

Uchiki kuri

Also known as onion squash, this lovely curcurbit finally decided to produce fruit for me this year. Just the one mind you. As a plant it takes up much less room than a butternut squash or traditional pumpkin, so I would recommend it if space is an issue. It produces the familiar long yellow flowers of the squash family, followed by a matching globular fruit, that swelled to the size of a honeydew melon. 



It showed off its beautiful range of glowing colours as the skin ripened in the sun before I moved it to the greenhouse to finish the curing process in a dry environment.



 It now resides in the kitchen where I am deciding what to do with each and every 749g of it. A big roasted stuffed squash maybe? A sumptuous soup or a rich sweet risotto? A small part of me wants to just admire it rather than break the spell by cutting into it. I makes me wonder what those gardeners who grow the champion vegetables for competition feel like when the time comes to consign their prize specimens to the pot. At least I won't need a fork-lift truck when the time comes!




11 comments:

  1. We were given one of these, (fruit not plant) by a plot neighbour once but it never developed the lovely orange colour

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    1. Might it have been taken off the plant too early? I'm wondering if they need to mature on the plant before they will ripen fully.

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  2. I tried growing this variety last year but couldn't even get the seeds to germinate. They actually sell them in Morrisons now, it's good to see a bit of variety on the supermarket shelves, so we've been having roast squash this week, delicious.

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    1. This is my third year of trying Jo - year 1 I got a small plant that died when I planted it out and year 2 I also had germination problems. Even this year I sowed 5 seeds to get this one plant...

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  3. I plant two variety of little pumpkin right now. The orange variety looks like yours. But I think your squash is so unique. It's color and shape look like a lemon. So interesting!

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    1. I think winter squash and pumpkins are so beautiful. Decorative, good for storing and so tasty – everything I could want in a homegrown veg!

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  4. I grew some of these at the allotment this year, they're delicious and I'll definitely try them again next year. I like them just roasted with oil and salt.

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    1. Roasted squash risotto is a personal favourite CJ, and I have recently discovered that even the seeds can be washed and roasted in oil, salt, pepper and chilli flakes for a fabulous savoury nibble. What's not to like?

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  5. Oh how exciting. I managed to produce a grand total of two this year. One has already been consumed. Don't admire it for too long. I know from previous experience that they can turn into mush overnight when your back is turned :(

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    1. Yes, I've saved a squash too long before and ended up with a dried specimen a shadow of its former self. We'll be planning to enjoy this in the next couple of weeks.

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  6. Interesting piece. I'm growing them this year for the first time. Luckily seed germinated very easily. Can't wait to see if I have any luck :)

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