Pshaw, Cushaw! I mean, it’s not the cushaw’s fault I’m a little impatient. Powdery mildew is laying claim to the cushaw vines (also known as green-striped squash) and even though I’ve sprayed each week, spots cover every leaf and stem. GRRRR. Update: see Growing Winter Squash Part 2, Kabocha & Cushaw.
As you saw in an earlier episode of Late Bloomer, I was given four cushaw seeds and told they were a rare Southern heirloom. That’s all I needed to hear, and got them seeded, and planted out mid-summer. It rained while I was gone last week and the mildew, which was kind of under control, spread like mad. It’s pointless now to spray. This cushaw that grew off the main vine is the most developed. I’m guessing it’s about twenty pounds right now.
As I said in August Update, “all I hope for is one beautiful cushaw squash,” and in fact, I have three. One large, one medium, and one small. This is the medium and spends more time in shade than the largest one, about 15 pounds.
The small cushaw’s connecting stem is split open and therefore compromised, so I don’t expect it to get big. Check out the links to the episodes to see how the summer garden started out. I will have a September update coming in a few weeks.
I’ll be sure to post when I harvest, and let you know how I manage to cook it. I could also just lay it on my porch as decoration for fall, but isn’t the point of growing your own food to eat it? The biggest frustration is the leaves, weakened by mildew, wilt in the middle of the day. They have done that from the beginning. Sort of makes me want to get the summer garden over with and pull it all out and start with a clean slate. 🙂
Have you grown cushaw? Please share your recipe! This is my first time. Thanks for reading and please share with a friend! – Kaye
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