Pumpkin and Winter Squash pictures for 2014

[Fluffnpuff]

I thought i'd start a thread for people to post pictures of winter squash and pumpkins grown in our 2014 gardens. Any unique growing tips, observations, or recipes would be awesome.

I'll start with a picture of a Long Island Cheese pumpkin on the left and a Connecticut Field pumpkin on the right.




The long island cheese was pretty much as described by reviewers but the connecticut field pumpkin was not the stringy, watery, and sub par taste mess like catalogs and online reviews claim. Of the pumpkins i've grown that was stringy and watery, Rouge Vif D' Etampes was the worst. C.F.P. was no where near that bad.

In anticipation for the stringiness that never came, I did try a new recipe which turned out well. I used a Cushaw butter recipe only used pumpkin instead of cushaw squash. The ingredients were the cooked flesh of one medium pumpkin, 1/4 cup of apple juice, 3/4 cup of sugar, 4 tbls of honey, and 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice.

 

[Fluffnpuff]

That was supposed to be a Guatemalan Blue squash which was pictured as a blueish green banana squash but all of mine have a tear drop shape. I suspect it crossed with something else in my garden. The taste is nothing to write home about and the yields have been average so far.

 

[Fluffnpuff]

A hopi cushaw squash. Haven't ate one yet but i did notice the squash per plant ratio isn't good. Due to the poor yield i probably won't grow it again despite the aesthetically attractive colors.

 

[SassyHen]

Hi, Fluffnpuff. Thanks for posting pics of your pumpkins and squash. They are one of my husband and my favorite things to grow. We've had good and bad years due to predators. This year, pretty bad.

I have found the musque d'province to make a mighty tasty pie. If we get something this year, I'll post a picture.

 

[Fluffnpuff]

Hi, Fluffnpuff. Thanks for posting pics of your pumpkins and squash. They are one of my husband and my favorite things to grow. We've had good and bad years due to predators. This year, pretty bad.

I have found the musque d'province to make a mighty tasty pie. If we get something this year, I'll post a picture.

I've always wanted to grow those things, but a 120 day maturity date is pushing it for zone 6b. I tried to grow them last year but frost hit before they matured. After that disaster i've been limiting my winter squash and pumpkin escapades to 110 days or less.


Here is a picture of a green striped cushaw.



This was my greatest yielder for the summer. I have them all over the yard.

What predators are eating your squash? Feral pigs/wild boar?

 

[SassyHen]

No wild pigs or boar here. The deer we have pretty well eliminated from the garden, but rabbits and ground hogs are probably our biggest problem. We live in zone 5, but have had success. The striped cushaw is beautiful!

 

[Fluffnpuff]

No wild pigs or boar here. The deer we have pretty well eliminated from the garden, but rabbits and ground hogs are probably our biggest problem. We live in zone 5, but have had success. The striped cushaw is beautiful!

I know plenty of people in zone 6 successfully get the 120 day pumpkins to mature, but for what ever reason it just won't happen at my location. After the 2nd week in August, growth on winter squash and pumpkins stops even though we usually don't have a frost until sept. It may be due to the high elevation. The 130 day corn does ok though.