Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners

Reviewed on 03/25/2011 by pointydog - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Orange, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
Amazing to see this cucuzza listed here! I have been growing these on and off for many years from seeds saved from visits to Sicily. The vines are strong growers and can cover an arbor with tropical looking large leaves and white flowers. In Sicily they are grown over a grid of wires set about 3\' off the ground on stakes. They won\'t form the serpent shape if they have room to hang as they begin curving when the elongating fruit starts to touch the ground. Picked very small (8 to 12\" long) they are good enough cooked like any summer squash. let them get much bigger and they become very woody and require long cooking. Either way they are relatively insipid and tasteless, nowhere near as tasty as most similar squashes. They are often bitter here in my clay acid soil unless I apply a top dressing of lime every few weeks once flowers are observed. The flowers are also small and not useful for stuffing. I grow these mostly for their novelty and their connection with Sicily.