The Beauty of Squash!

  It is my longstanding habit of rising before the sun and starting the day with a trip to the pier then back to the gardens.  This is a throwback to my childhood when I was either fishing with Pop or hoeing weeds with him during the early morning hours.  He instilled the love of both in me and I carry that with me to this day.  Fishing and farming!

  This morning as I was tending the garden, a thought occurred.  Why are squash plants not considered to be "flower-garden worthy"?  The broad leaves of the plant are just as showy as any hosta and the blooms can top just about any lily.  The plants are beautiful and also produce supper!  What more could you ask?  I knelt in the soft dirt to get a really good look at the squash bloom and was greeted by a number of tiny bumblebees as they gathered the pollen.  It seems that those and the honeybees fully appreciate the squash plants!  

  Squash are separated into two categories...summer squash and winter squash.  Zucchini, yellow crook neck and pattypan are types of summer squash and butternut, acorn and pumpkins are winter squash.  A lot of folks think that "winter" squash are planted in the cooler months but this is not so.  They are called that simply because they have tougher skins and can be stored for a long time during winter.  While it is not that common today, years back, folks harvested the winter squash and stored them for use during the cold months when it was hard to have a garden.  The tough skins kept the squash from rotting or becoming dried.  This provided food when times were lean.  I still overwinter a basket of butternut squash in the back room and pumpkins wherever I find a place to put them!  They last just fine and provide many a meal when the garden is planted with winter crops.  That, my friends, is the beauty of squash...other than their fine leaves and lovely blooms!