The Monster Squash

The Monster volunteer squash/pumpkin and smaller siblings are gone.  The below freezing temperatures last week killed them.  Tearing out the dead vines and leaves (a gooey mess), I think they were indeed Tatume.   

 

before frost

after frost

 

 Tatume, or Calabacita, a Mexican heirloom, is an aggressive plant, since each vine can root at each node, sending out even more vines.  Mine sent out vines to incredible lengths.  This habit does make it able to withstand any borer damage.

I hate summer squash, and while Tatume can be eaten small like zucchini, it can also be left to mature and used as winter squash.  Once the frost killed the plants, the fruit already changing color will continue to ripen off the vine.  But, I won't be eating them.  I broke one open, and found the meat will be too mealy for me.  I've read it compared to spaghetti squash (yuck), which I do not want.  I wanted nice firm meat to cook, puree, and freeze.  

I'll say this much for Tatume, it's produces like no squash I've ever grown or heard of before! I had The Monster, a younger and smaller one, and one in a raised bed (more on this below).  Here is some of the harvest:

The majority of them looked like this.

 

There was quite a variety though, so I wonder if they were a Tatume hybrid. 

Two of the plants were complete surprises, coming up outside of, and not near, any beds.  The other did grow in a bed where I'd planted Striped Green Cushaw.  These are not Striped Green Cushaw pumpkins.  They are beautiful though.  They started out with stripes, then most changed to solid green only a few starting to orange up.  Several were pear shaped, a few grew warts, and two were shaped like zucchini left on the vine too long.  Which pretty much tells me these are hybrids.  Did they volunteer, or did I drop some Cushaw seeds that were not Cushaw?  Who knows, but it was interesting to let them grow, if not filling my freezer.  The seeds were from a reliable source, which deepens the mystery.

 The plants were so big I'm glad the frost came!  It's nice to have those spaces back.  What a grassy, muddy mess underneath it all.  The vines filled the huge green waste trash container, with some leftover. 

 

Any squash volunteers next year will get pulled out!