In our book, No Nonsense Vegetable Gardening, we dispense with the Latin names and give home vegetable gardeners a practical snapshot of the world of winter and summer squash.
Here’s what we tell readers in our book:
Not sure what to call the fancy, posh-looking squashes that are once again the darlings of the culinary scene? You’re not alone.
Squash-name neurotica stems from a tangle of things: there are three main species, but each species has a number of varieties; all these varieties are more commonly classed by use, shape, and time or harvest than by their species; classification categories overlap; and, to top it off, there are regional differences in names. Wow.
It’s enough to befuddle the aspiring squash grower, who must remember that a zucchini is a summer squash, but not all summer squash are zucchini!
Donna says: I cook summer squash at any stage. It is not the squash’s fault if I left in the garden too long.
Steve says: Note for gadget-loving Donna: there’s a special tool used to hollow out Cousa so they can be stuffed. And I have it!