Today I did a quick harvest in the Garden. It is fall and pumpkins are ready to come in.
I also garbed some winter squash while I was there
Interestingly these are all classified in the same genus "Cucurbita"
So lets see what species I have.
From left to right
- C. maxima. This is a "jumbo" pumpkin that came up as a volunteer from last year. It has a smooth orange skin. This one will get carved up for a Jack-O-Lantern.
- C. pepo var. pepo. This is your standard run-of-the-mill pumpkin. I have found this variety to be fairly good for eating and the seeds are excellent roasted.
- C. pepo var. fastigata. This is commonly know as Spaghetti Squash and is fun to use as a replacement for noodles.
- C. moschata. This is your standard Butternut Squash. It is my favorite of all the squash varieties I grow. The ones we don't eat fresh will be roasted and the flesh will be canned for long term storage.
Do you have a favorite Cucurbita?