Ushki Kuri

[Mike Vogel]

Dear fellow growers, am I, along with my wife, and her sister, and the neighbours, oh yes, and one or two of my colleagues, the only ones who consider the taste of Ushiki Kuri squashes to be rather unpalatable? We made a soup with it last year which had to be composted because neither of us could bear it and I certainly don't intend to grow this vegetable again. It has a very turnip-like earthy taste, which none of the above-mentioned found at all to their taste.

Or have we all been doing something wrong?

mike

[Jenny Green]

I quite liked the taste. I thought it was nice and nutty.
If only my family liked pumpkin.

[peter]

Grew it a couple of years ago.

Powdery dry, unpalatable, unpleasant taste.

[Primrose]

Never tried it. Now you've all put me off.

[Colin_M]

Hi Mike - good point!

I tried U Kuri's last year because I'd seen people raving about them. Admitedly I sowed them a little late, but because of the amazing weather, we still got good sized squashes.

However I found them unremarkable in taste - not actully yucky but nothing to write home about. By comparison, here are my ratings for the others I tried last year:
- Butternut: Good crop (in fact 2 separate harvests between Summer & Autumn), Good taste
- Sweet Dumpling: Fair crop, Excellent taste. Seems consistent & reliable
- BonBon: Grown for the first time - Excellent taste, with hints of chestnut, rich & slightly sweet
- Turks Turban: Visual Impact - 10, Ease of preparing for cooking - 2, Taste - 1

This year, I added BonBon to my regular crop alongside Butternut & Crown Prince. Sadly it's been a poor year and I didn't plant them out early enough (weather didn't look right) so I have a much poorer set of results than 2006.

Colin

[Chantal]

Hi Mike

I tried them last year and won't bother again.

[John]

Hello Mike, Colin and Peter
You're talking about the King of the Squashes.
From what you say about the taste of yours, I wonder if you are cutting them too early and not letting them mature fully. I leave mine on the vine until the fruit stalk has begun to wither before cutting. They then get a spell on a garden wall to finally dry and mature.
I've grown Orange Dawn for the first time this year and been very impressed with it. They grow to a more manageable size, a bit bigger than a large grapefruit, and have plenty of firm flesh with a nutty flavour.

John

[peter]

....You're talking about the King of the Squashes....

John, thats odd, cos I don't remember mentioning Crown Prince.

[Mike Vogel]

Thanks for your comments. I see that I'm not alone. Interesting point though, John; I may indeed have been too early cutting it, given your suggestions, and it is of course possible that others have done the same. Perhaps it's just a question of taste, as Jenny seems to like it.

I agree with Colin about Butternuts. they are perhaps our favourite for soups. Haven't tried the others, but I've always regarded Turks Turban asa visual rather than a culinary goody.

mike

[Colin_M]

I agree with Colin about Butternuts. they are perhaps our favourite for soups

Just one thing though Mike - I've read at least one person saying that, though Butternuts are one of the most commonly available squash in the shops, they're actually less suited to cultivation in our climate than many other squashes.

Anyone care to comment
Although mine did well last year, they weren't so productive in 2004, 5 and 7.

Haven't tried the others, but I've always regarded Turks Turban asa visual rather than a culinary goody

Just to pick up the point about timing the harvest.
I waited till my Ushi Kuri could be snapped off at the stem. They were then left for a couple of months in a warm conservatory (along with our other squashes) before we tried them. Ours were pretty average, but maybe I didn't look after them properly?

The first 6 Turks Turbans were insipid. However the final 2 weren't too bad, & seemed to have acquired some flavour. Maybe the starches had started converting to sugars?

However there's one other factor: ease of preparing & cooking. We now roast nearly all squash before using it. Varieties like BonBon & Butternuts make it easier to get a good quantity of flesh for the effort (especially butternut, with less seed for all that flesh). The Turks seemed to have such a thin layer of flesh, such a tough old skin & really made you work to get much out of them.

One final star for cooking: Sweet Dumpling. These seem so easy to do in the microwave for 5 minutes (punctured to prevent steam explosions!) and taste pretty good.

Colin

[Mike Vogel]

Actually, Colin, I've been quite surprised and proud of my Butternuts, and we've enjoyed a fair quantity of Butternut squash soup, but not this year, as it has been too cold for them to develop their female flowers. I've just seen a little one on one of my three plants. Will it grow and ripen before the frosts get it? We'll see.

One year I'll try the Sweet Dumplings.

mike