Here's another weird thing about this vine. Most of the very young squash is light green and oblong. But there are a few others that are small, completely round like a pumpkin, and bright orange (the same colors as the oblong fruits once they get big and mature)! It *is* only one vine -- I checked. Strange. Why would a vine put out different shapes of fruits?? Would the seeds at least be edible if they were cooked, like pumpkin seeds? Trying to justify keeping this monster in my garden . . . :-) Mel

Sorry for not responding sooner but our internet connection has been down soon after I posted this. Dial up goes down when it rains or snows much and we just finished a big snowstorm. Silvia I got the Futtsu from Sand Hill and the Sibley from Baker Creek. I also saw Sibley at Fedco but not Futtsu. I saw a post by you last year and you had a squash that I think you called Seminole and it looks like my 3 Seminole to the left of my group of 8. Weirdtrev says they look like a squash called 'La Estrella'. What do you think and where did you get your seed? My problem is that I had Seminole seed from 3 sources. Sand Hill, Fedco, and Baker Creek. I had opened all 3 packs over the past 2 years but none matured in 08 so I don't know which one was which. I had one hill of about 4 seeds of the one that looks like La Estrella and harvested 20 squash at 12-17 lbs each so it was a good producer but most did set late. Steve You may be right about the ph. My soil runs about 6-6.3 but I thought Amish Pie was more strawberry shaped and mine was more flattened but not as much as a Long Island Cheese. Mauirose I planted 2 hills about 10 feet apart and had about 4 plants per hill. I had one other hill about 500 feet away as I don't like them together due to bug problems here. They spread out about 25 feet but if they get too close to something else I just prune them back. Mailman22 I just had a good year I guess. We also have fertile soil here being in the heart of the corn belt( I am a farmer also). The ground I used this year has not had a crop of any kind for 10 years also. Knittlin Maybe I will try Amish Pie from another seed source and see if I get the same thing. I got my Warsaw seed from George McLaughlin(AKA Macmex) I think George also named the squash. I also have some seed as I hand pollinated several squash but I don't have many of the round ones like he has. Weirdtrev Thanks for the input on the Seminole. I didn't think there would be that much variation. What information can you give me on the 'La Estrella'? I have not heard of that one. I think I know where my seed came from so I may contact them to see if anyone has had the same results.

You know I love pumpkins and squash. My favorite pumpkin for baking and pumpkin butter is the winter luxury pumpkin. It makes a very mild pumpkin pie similar to old fashioned squash pie. Winter luxury pumpkins don't last long--so you basically grow, process and freeze. These pumpkins can't compare to anything you find in the grocery store. When processed, they are great for low fat cooking. Pumpkin butter from these is out of this world. I use Queensland's Blue for pumpkin pie. They have a little more depth to their flavor. They are an Australian pumpkin that will last a long time in your cellar. I still have some in my basement--which is warmer than a typical cellar would be. Now if you want beauty--plant the musquee de provence. It looks like a cinderella pumpkin and is absolutely beautiful. You can cook with it--but I don't. It just doesn't compare to the pumpkins above. My favorite squash is the Potimarron. It's a French squash that has an unbelievable taste. I often wonder what it would taste like if made into pumpkin pie. We usually just eat it straight from the oven. These last a long time. Tori

"Pumpkin" is often used generically to mean any winter squash, Bart. And that's likely what you have. If so, it's very edible. Hard-shelled gourds (i.e., the decorative ones) are not edible because there just isn't enough flesh, and what little there is is very stringy. But there are squashes and melons that are often called gourds too, which are. Such as the Hairy Gourd. And young loofas (the bathtub gourd) are edible.