Golden / Zucchini / Crookneck
FoodFood InformationVegetablesSquash
Summer squash is widely used in all areas of the United States. The moreimportant varieties include the green zucchini squash, the straight andcrook neck yellow squash, and the flat, discus-shaped, white squash.
Summer squash is harvested prior to reaching full maturity and while theseeds are still tender enough to be edible. The flesh of the summer squashvarieties is tender and string-free.
From colonial times until the mid-1930s, the yellow-skinned varieties ofthe summer squash were by far the most popular. The white summer squashcame in a distant second. Green-skinned zucchini squash was a rarity andcould only be found in retail stores that served Italian neighborhoods.Today, the green-skinned zucchini is by far the biggest seller. At New York'sHunts Point Market, 95 percent of the summer squash sold each year is zucchini.
However, there are still some regional preferences for yellow squash. Thecrook-neck yellow squash sells well in Dixie, as does the straight-neckyellow in the Midwest. The white squash, also called pattypan, has all butdisappeared, though of late it has been making a comeback as a gourmet item.There is also a yellow zucchini that was introduced recently.
Zucchini is of Italian origin. It is called green squash in manyareas, and in French restaurants and British cookbooks it is referred toas courgette. It is a favorite with many home gardeners because it thriveswith very little care and has a high yield.
Unopened flower buds of zucchini are a gourmet item. When they are sautéedthey are a flavor treat. These buds are very expensive when bought in fancyfruit shops, but are free for the gathering if you have zucchini growingin your backyard.
When shopping for summer squash, freshness is all-important. When fresh,it is sweet, but it can be bitter in flavor when aged. The firmness of thesummer squash is the clue to its freshness. Soft squash is old squash.Check out both ends with gentle pressure. If it is soft and rubbery, don'tbuy it.
In summer squash, unlike winter squash but like cucumbers, the seedsas well as the rind are edible. Most of the flavor of the squash isin these seeds. The smaller the seed, the better the flavor and the smootherthe texture. The smaller the squash, the smaller the seeds. Therefore, thesmaller squash is more desirable. When shopping for zucchini and the straight-neckyellow variety, select squash that is at most about seven inches in length.Any squash that is larger may have tough seeds. All summer varieties areharvested prior to reaching full maturity. When they reach full maturitythey become semihard-shelled squash and the seeds are too tough to consume.
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