First harvest of the tromboncino squash plant, also called zucchetta. The cultivar was developed in Italy. This is the plant I’ve been protecting from squash bugs by hunting those critters every day.
It’s supposed to look like a trombone, and because I used to be a trombone player, I started growing this versatile squash last year. It’s both a summer squash and a winter squash. You can pick it young and use it like zucchini, it has a similar flavor but is sweeter, or leave on the vine longer for a tougher skin for storage. As a winter squash, it has a mild flavor that is best dressed up with spices.
If you are not a fan of seeds in your zucchini, this is ideal. The seeds are only in the bulb at the bottom. The long neck is seedless. Perfect for spiralizing into “zoodles” for carb-conscious folks craving pasta. Or shredding for breads, brownies and cookies.
My favorite way to eat it is to saute slices with a little bit of salt and Parmesan cheese.
Two weeks ago, the fruits looked like this.
The plant will grow large over the next two months. Here it was last night.
I use pipe cleaners to encourage it to travel along the trellis. The fruits grow straight when they have room to hang. Otherwise, they curl and instead of being trombone-shaped, they look like French horns.
~Debbie