Varieties Of Italian Squash

Italian squash is called zucchini in the United States and Italy according to the Cooking Index website

. It's also known as courgette in France. The squash is a warm season vegetable. Pick the zucchini when it is not more than 6-inches long. Many of the varieties of Italian squash seeds look very similar. Seeds are flat and oval-shaped with a slightly pointed end. They are about 1/4- to 1/2 inch long and 1/4 inch wide. If you want to harvest your own seeds for planting in the next season let the squash grow rather large. Label the seeds so you know which is which when it's time to plant.

Zucchini

Classic straight green squashes grow on big sprawling bushes. As the bush grows it lengthens into a vine with large leaves. Zucchini grows from a few inches long to the size of a baseball bat if left on the vine. Pick the squash when it's no more than 6-inches long for the best flavor, small seeds and tender texture.

Green Tiger

Same size as the classic zucchini but has alternating dark and light green stripes on the skin of the vegetable. The squash grows up to 8-inches in length and about an inch in diameter. The bush remains compact rather than sprawling. This is a hybrid so the seeds may or may not produce plants that bear fruit that looks like the Green Tiger.

Ball Squash

Ball squash has compact bushes with round squashes rather than oblong and very prolific fruit setting. The colors of skin vary from bright yellow to green and variegated light and dark green. The round shapes make these Italian squashes perfect for stuffing.

Butterstick

Butterstick has the growth habit of the classic zucchini but the fruits are yellow rather than green.

Crookneck

The squash grows with a crook in the neck. One end is thicker and curves to the narrower portion.

by: Dee Power

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