The Real Dirt by Sonia Day
Day: This squash blows its own horn
August 19, 2010
Sonia Day
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Whoo hoo! Sound the trumpets! This is proving to be one of the best summers in years for getting squashed.
Thanks to a combination of sun, searing heat and rain, squash vines are currently galloping through my garden like thoroughbreds at a race track — and there’s one in particular that’s a real blast.
Ever heard of a climbing summer squash called Trombetta di Albenga? Probably not. I hadn’t either, but it’s named after a town called Albenga on the Italian Riviera (not far from Genova). Don’t be mislead by that moniker, though. Trombetta means “little trumpet,” yet nothing about this plant is pint-sized. My trombettas have actually grown into the biggest, most incredible edibles I have ever seen.
From seeds planted in early June, the vines shot up quickly — tromping all over a trellis in weeks. But they didn’t stop there. Indeed, mine seemed to be pleading with me every morning “Mama mia! Get with it, woncha? We need something else to climb up! NOW!” So I kept frantically adding tree branches to the trellis and the result is a mountainous mess of gigantic green leaves and stalks. The effect isn’t exactly Martha Stewart, but who cares?
We’re eating those trombettas now. They start out pale yellow, looking distinctly like trumpets — with the golden flower forming the “horn.” But then they go lime green, fatten up and lengthen, prompting my spouse to start making jokes of the donkey dong variety. Some have even grown longer than my arm.
Sliced up and sautéed, these strange objects look like chopped green apples in a pan. And although they’re called “squash,” I think the taste is more like chayote, a veggie I ate a lot while living in Costa Rica. (Jamaica has something similar called chocho.) Whatever, this hot new addition to the veggie stakes is a novelty — fun to grow, with firm, non-mushy flesh that will likely keep for a few weeks. Another plus: very few seeds. They’re stashed in the bulbous bit at the end — so you can eat all the rest of it if — gulp — you want to.
My seeds came from California-based Renee’s Garden. The owner, Renee Shepherd, personally tests everything she sells — and I love her stuff because even in my garden northwest of Toronto, it always works.
Some GTA garden centres sell Renee’s pretty watercolour seed packets. Or order direct from www.reneesgarden.com.
Plant pick
Portofino zucchini Cucurbita pepo
Hate zucchini? Try this one. My personal fave. Popular in Italy. Has ridged sides and a definite flavour. Also called Largo, Striato or Romanesco. Renee’s Garden sells seeds. Also: Veseys, Prince Edward Island www.veseys.com .William Dam Seeds in Dundas www.damseeds.com; and Dominion Seeds in Georgetown. 1-800-282 -5746. www.dominion-seed-house.com
Dig This
I’m special guest at Toronto Botanical Garden’s Viva Italia next Thursday, August 26 — an Italian-style meal featuring goodies from their veggie garden. My latest book, Incredible Edibles, 43 Fun Things to Grow in the City will be on sale. I may even bring along a trombetta or two to blow my horn about. Time 7-9 p.m. Tickets $50. Members $45. Preregistration required. 416-397-1341 or torontobotanicalgarden.ca