# Yellow Squash and Zuchinni



## chuckhole (Mar 2, 2006)

Our squash is flowering and they all look yellow. When can you tell the difference between the Yellow and green Zuchinni squash? All of the blooms look the same. I feel like the two guys from the movie "Second Hand Lions" where the the salesman sold them all the different varieties of veggies but all they got was corn............made me laugh so hard.


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## rocket (Sep 9, 2005)

So you're worried that you ended up with just one and not both? Well, if you have flowers already then you'll be able to tell by the squash itself soon enough.


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## susieM (Apr 23, 2006)

Look behind the flowers....behind the female ones, you'll see the babies, in all their yellow or green glory. If you have lots, you can stuff and cook the flowers, with the fruit attached.


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## chuckhole (Mar 2, 2006)

Yeah Rocket, I am worried. If we get anything to grow this year, we will be happy though. Last year was our first year with the garden and Texas was hit so hard with the drought. It was really discouraging. We lost almost everything we planted last year. Veggies, fruit trees, pecans....all gone so we are thankful to get anything this year. We bought the Southern Seed collection from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds with 65 different packets and we planted almost everything. Kinda like a shotgun approach. We tried it all and figure we will make a lot of mistakes but at least we are trying and learning.


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## rocket (Sep 9, 2005)

Well I would think the two plants would look pretty much identical. So don't worry too much yet.

Are you relying on rain or did you have a watering ban last year?


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## rwinsouthla (Oct 24, 2005)

You should notice that the zuchini plants are slightly darker green than the yellow squash. The yellow squash may have a bit smaller leaves. Someone else said it above....the yellow begins yellow and stays yellow. The zuchini begins light green and darkens as it ages. 

A little tip on the zuchini....if you want soft, easy to chew, easily sauteed zuchini, pick it when it is about 8-10 inches long and 1-1.5 inches in diameter. It will get as big as 3-4" around and 14-16 inches long if you let it grow. This size is GREAT for stuffing with meat like spagetti sauce and the like or even better in breads. 

A tip on the yellow, pick it while it is lemon yellow, and before it turns to school bus yellow as it gets a bit tough when it turns school bus yellow.

Have fun.


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## susieM (Apr 23, 2006)

If you have one that hid, and grew too big, just scoop out the seeds and stuff it with hamburger, top with tomato sauce, and bake.


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## rocket (Sep 9, 2005)

I had a Zucchini that "hid" one year. When I finally found it, it was close to 3 feet long and six inches thick!


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## chuckhole (Mar 2, 2006)

Thanks for the tips. We are weekenders so this poses a number of problems but it doesn't stop us.

Rocket, no ban on water but our garden relies on well water with a pump that only puts out 7gpm (working on capacity upgrade). So we do rely on rain water for the most part. We are running 1" pvc pipe from the front of the property where the metered water is but that will take about 1500 feet of pipe to get there.

To all, thanks for the tips. Since we are not there all the time to pick when the sizes are perfect, we definitely need some ideas on what to do with slightly oversize squash.

Does squash dehydrate well or do you just freeze it?


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## VALENT (Dec 6, 2004)

where do you spend your weekends? I am located west of Houston about 30 minutes.


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## susieM (Apr 23, 2006)

Little zucchini dry wonderfully well...just don't blanch them, and don't freeze them, first. I susbstitute zucchini for cucumbers in all my pickle recipes. Try cooking them, and then mashing them, mix with an egg and some milk, and bake as a flan. Grate one and stir it into chicken broth with a little garlic and parsley, bring up to a boil and add a beaten egg. 

If all else fails, and you still have zillions of zucchini (I think that there is a cookbook, with that name), pigs ADORE them.


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## swamp man (Dec 25, 2005)

susieM said:


> If you have one that hid, and grew too big, just scoop out the seeds and stuff it with hamburger, top with tomato sauce, and bake.


Thanks,SusieM,I'm gonna' try that recipe.When I find a "hidden monster" zook or squash.I slice it in half long ways,scoop out the seeds,and fill the seed cavity with butter and whatever kind of peppers the garden has available.I sprinkle the whole thing with brown sugar,bake until tender,smother with parmesan cheese,then return 'em to the oven until the cheese just starts to turn golden-brown.
With your recipe,I should brown the ground beef first,right?


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## susieM (Apr 23, 2006)

swamp man said:


> Thanks,SusieM,I'm gonna' try that recipe.When I find a "hidden monster" zook or squash.I slice it in half long ways,scoop out the seeds,and fill the seed cavity with butter and whatever kind of peppers the garden has available.I sprinkle the whole thing with brown sugar,bake until tender,smother with parmesan cheese,then return 'em to the oven until the cheese just starts to turn golden-brown.
> With your recipe,I should brown the ground beef first,right?


Yours sounds better than mine!

No, don't brown the meat first. Just mix the raw hamburger (or pork sausage meat) with some of the chopped insides of the zucchini, some breadcrumbs or rice, onion, garlic, and an egg or two, and bake. I'm the only one in town who tops it off with tomato sauce and croutons...everybody else just bakes it plain.

The little zucchinis can be done like this, too...or make a mixed panful, with zucchini, onion, peppers, and eggplant.


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## Peacock (Apr 12, 2006)

Zucchini relish is also a great way to use the "monsters" of either color. Although when they get that big you might want to peel them and scrape out the seeds before grating them for relish. I love the stuff, but have so much in my pantry right now that I'm only growing ONE zuke plant this year, for fresh eating.


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## chuckhole (Mar 2, 2006)

Sorry it took so long to touch base.

Valent, our place is half way between Centerville and Buffalo (I45N). Our door to door drive is 130 miles. You are so close to our home on the NW side of Houston. I would guess that you are in Katy.

Susie and Swamp Man, I am thinking of a combination of both recipes. How about this?:
Scoop out the seeds and stuff with cooked ground beef, wild rice, sweet peppers, onions, chopped garlic and tomato paste and garnish with ground parmesean cheese. Bake until cheese bubbles and zuchinni (or yellow squash) is tender. Serve with a chilled red wine like a Merlot or Pinot Noir and I think we have a complete meal although my DW would prefer a Cabernet.

Edayna, you are scaring me. Only one plant is enough? Oh Noooo.....We planted 72 squash and about 12 are producing already. My DW said to count on the 1/4 rule. Plant 1/4 for weather, 1/4 for animals, 1/4 for neighbors and 1/4 for us. So smart me :nerd: said OK....plant a 1/4 acre garden and we did. We need more friends.  

I will take pictures this weekend for posting.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

I dry zukes, yellow squash, patty pans and cukes and mix together in gallon bags then put inside a popcorn can. I put handfuls into any dish that has a fairly strong flavor, like chili, spaghetti sauce, stews etc.

I think freezing squash ruins it, JMHO.


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## susieM (Apr 23, 2006)

chuckhole said:


> Sorry it took so long to touch base.
> 
> Valent, our place is half way between Centerville and Buffalo (I45N). Our door to door drive is 130 miles. You are so close to our home on the NW side of Houston. I would guess that you are in Katy.
> 
> ...


Sounds yummy! I'd mix the cheese with breadcrumbs, first...but then, you (and your neighbors, friends, relatives, complete strangrers, the food bank...) are going to be having LOTS of chances to try new recipes. I'll be willing to bet that you come to HATE squash, by the end of the season!

hint: Buy a couple of pigs...they love zucchini. And a dehydrator. And you can use zucchini to replace cucumber, in all pickle recipes.


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## chuckhole (Mar 2, 2006)

We got 21 Yellow Squash and 14 Zuchinni last weekend for our first harvest and our neighbors are already getting anxious.

A few of the new babies had fuzzy stuff on them like a catepiller growing all the way around it. We picked them off and threw them out of the garden. Is that what Squash Bugs look like when they lay eggs? What do the mature ones look like? Or is it something else? :shrug:


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## susieM (Apr 23, 2006)

chuckhole said:


> We got 21 Yellow Squash and 14 Zuchinni last weekend for our first harvest and our neighbors are already getting anxious.
> 
> A few of the new babies had fuzzy stuff on them like a catepiller growing all the way around it. We picked them off and threw them out of the garden. Is that what Squash Bugs look like when they lay eggs? What do the mature ones look like? Or is it something else? :shrug:


Sounds like mould. Are you watering them from the top, instead of the roots? Don't spray water on them, the babies will rot..


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## chuckhole (Mar 2, 2006)

I have posted photos.

http://home.earthlink.net/~charles_anderson/

Click on Spring Garden 2006.


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## VALENT (Dec 6, 2004)

Just viewed your pics. Cool garden. That is quite a "water manifold contraption" you have there. I havent seen that type at Home Depot or Lowes. It really is looking nice. But beware of the critters harvesting that corn for you.


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## chuckhole (Mar 2, 2006)

Thanks for taking a look at the pics. I am working on the site again tonight. It is new since a few days ago. I work on computers all day and finally got the push to put up a personal web site.

The water manifold was made from plumbing parts obtained at HD and Lowes and mounted on scrap lumber. It took me about four hours to design it and put it all together. All the screwed in joints had to be gooped with plumbers putty even though they were tapered fittings. Since I placed the valves so close together, I had to remove the handles and gates from the valve bodies to assemble it and then put them back together. The faucet on the back side was my DW's idea. She said it would be nice to be able to wash the compost "poop" off our hands so the faucet was added.

The next step (maybe this Fall) will be to add an Electronic Controller used in sprinkler systems with a rain sensor and have the thing controll the watering while we are not there. Then after that, the electronic weather station connected to the computer and then the web cams on the Internet and then..........can you tell I am a gadget person? :nerd:


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## chuckhole (Mar 2, 2006)

susieM said:


> Sounds like mould. Are you watering them from the top, instead of the roots? Don't spray water on them, the babies will rot..


We are using soaker hoses except when God does the watering for us. Our "soil" has a lot of sand in it so moisture retention is a problem. That is one reason we use the soakers because it will make the best use of the water that is provided. Our well pump only puts out 7 gal/min at the current configuration.

:dance: Hooray. I just found it. Based on the description, it is Wet Rot. I found this excellent publication from the University of Florida Extension Service - http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PI046. The description is right on. It looks like a bunch of white needles with black heads.


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