Golden / Zucchini / Crookneck
FoodFood InformationVegetablesSquash
Summer squash is widely used in all areas of the United States. The more
important varieties include the green zucchini squash, the straight and
crook neck yellow squash, and the flat, discus-shaped, white squash.
Summer squash is harvested prior to reaching full maturity and while the
seeds are still tender enough to be edible. The flesh of the summer squash
varieties is tender and string-free.
From colonial times until the mid-1930s, the yellow-skinned varieties of
the summer squash were by far the most popular. The white summer squash
came in a distant second. Green-skinned zucchini squash was a rarity and
could only be found in retail stores that served Italian neighborhoods.
Today, the green-skinned zucchini is by far the biggest seller. At New York's
Hunts Point Market, 95 percent of the summer squash sold each year is zucchini.
However, there are still some regional preferences for yellow squash. The
crook-neck yellow squash sells well in Dixie, as does the straight-neck
yellow in the Midwest. The white squash, also called pattypan, has all but
disappeared, 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 many
areas, and in French restaurants and British cookbooks it is referred to
as courgette. It is a favorite with many home gardeners because it thrives
with very little care and has a high yield.
Unopened flower buds of zucchini are a gourmet item. When they are sautéed
they are a flavor treat. These buds are very expensive when bought in fancy
fruit shops, but are free for the gathering if you have zucchini growing
in 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 the
summer 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't
buy it.
In summer squash, unlike winter squash but like cucumbers, the seeds
as well as the rind are edible. Most of the flavor of the squash is
in these seeds. The smaller the seed, the better the flavor and the smoother
the texture. The smaller the squash, the smaller the seeds. Therefore, the
smaller squash is more desirable. When shopping for zucchini and the straight-neck
yellow variety, select squash that is at most about seven inches in length.
Any squash that is larger may have tough seeds. All summer varieties are
harvested prior to reaching full maturity. When they reach full maturity
they become semihard-shelled squash and the seeds are too tough to consume.
Deamer 5/97