Although our pigs have been getting garden waste since mid-summer, it consisted mainly of hail-damaged tomatoes, rodent-chewed melons and squash, weeds, and other such goodies. But now that we’ve had a freeze and have harvested all of our freeze-sensitive crops, the pigs are in hog heaven. Their troughs are filled with small melons and squash, frosted smaller tomatoes, damaged tomatoes, tomato skins and seeds, and pepper seeds and stem ends. The pigs have so many goodies that they can’t eat it all. They sigh then go lay in their houses to sleep it off.
We had a strange harvest off of our huge compost pile. Early in the summer a squash or pumpkin started growing on it and soon took over the pile. We harvested the squash and I haven’t seen one like it. It was hugely abundant, white with green stripes and kind of pumpkin-flatish. Anyone know what it is? We haven’t eaten one yet; most winter squash get sweeter with at least a month’s worth of storage. I’ll keep you posted.
We finally had a good rain, but today it’s cold, windy, and damp out. Brrrr. Feels like winter’s just around the corner. Will’s down on the barn, pounding nails like mad. We’re almost ready for the roof now, but we have to put it on hold until some cash comes in. There’s always another project waiting in the wings, however! That’s how it is on a homestead.
Miss Clay, that looks like a variety of Patty Pan squash. I saw some similar to this at a farmers market.
Perhaps a bit off subject:
You all are so lucky to be able to ‘dumpster dive’, where I live, you are not allowed to remove anything from the dump. If there was a perfect, look like it came from the show room floor Queen Anne chair, you couldn’t take it from the dump.
Since recycling is a nice thing, have you or Will ever made an outdoor fire pit from the tub of a broken down washing machine? We used the same one for over 20 years, they are nearly indestructible. You do have to make sure that the barrel does not have a ring around the top that has black powder in it. I guess it helps to balance a lopsided load of laundry. IF it does, drill a few holes into that area, and wash the powder out with your garden hose. THIS IS IMPORTANT. If there is black powder, and it isn’t washed out, your fire will heat it up, and it will blow up. We were lucky, our old tub didn’t have the powder in it.
Prop it up on a few rocks or bricks to allow air circulation from underneath, and you will be good to go. There are already holes drilled into the sides for more air. The fire is contained inside, heat radiates out, and with a stainless steel grid over the top, you can cook on it. Or cook hotdogs and marshmallows over the open flames. The lid from a 33 gallon aluminum trash can fit over the opening, and with a few rocks on top, we could go to bed and not worry about wind blowing embers into the air. If no top, well, we know water can’t hurt it. In the morning we’d add some more wood to the ashes, and voila, a place to cook breakfast.
Zelda,
I have the Baker Creek catalog and also looked online. Our squash is similar but much larger and not as indented on the top. So maybe it IS a variety of Sweet Dumpling. Our question is WHERE did it come from??? I’ve never grown it and it just popped up in our huge compost pile. How fun is that???!!!
Jackie
The Baker Creek Sweet Dumpling is flattened and heavily ribbed. Take a look at the online catalog photo. But time will give you a better answer. If it turns orange color in storage there aren’t many other choices. If they taste good and store well, save seeds and see if they come true next year. Squash are so entertaining and wonderful fun. Love ’em.
All,
No. It isn’t a Sweet Dumpling. The color is similar but the squash is flat and heavily ribbed, almost like a Triamble. Still looking. Any more guesses, guys???
Jackie
Yep. They look like Sweet Dumpling to me, too.
Hi Jacki,
We have mystery squash this year too. :) It looks about the size of a big spaghettti squash but has a green speckly type color. It is now starting to turn a bright orange on the underside like acorn and it is very hard. Weird. We picked one about 6 weeks ago and baked it. It had the texture of a large baked zuchinni. I’m curious now that it’s ripe and orange if it has a different flavor? Guess I will let it harden for a while and see if it gets sweet. :) I kind of like these little surprises. It’s fun!!!
I agree with Marlene, they do look like Sweet Dumplings. Let them sit in storage a while (2 months) to develop flavor (they should be very sweet), and if they turn orange-y they likely are. The current Baker Creek Seed Co Heriloom Gardener magazine has a wonderful article by William Woys Weaver on some heritage squash seeds he has grown out.
http://www.art.com/products/p360867254-sa-i4009053/wally-eberhart-winter-squash-sweet-dumpling-variety.htm
I thought these looked like what you have… now I’m not a Vegetable Detective, but it does look similar.
Looks like Sweet Dumpling squash. They are fun to use as serving dishes with rices soups or other vegies.
they look a lot like sweet dumplings, only they have more of a recessed indent on the top—we had some last year that we couldn’t figure out from some horse poop we got down the road from us, tried em, didn’t like them, gave them away, they had sat for aq month by then, friends told us they were delicious. Oh well
Dear Jackie, I am from the thumb area of Michigan and we have those in abundance at most roadside stands. I do not know its name, but it is more flavorful than an acorn squash and a little darker flesh. I prefer them to acorn squash but they are more work to get the flesh out. I do not know how well they store because I have not grown them myself. Keep up your helpful work. Thanks Brian
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