Quote:
Originally Posted by gorbelly
Thanks, Carolyn!
Would you say that it should be treated like any other moschata grown for winter use? i.e., let it stay on the vine as long as possible, cure for a couple of weeks, then store in a cool, dry spot?
I take it from your comments about storage that this isn't the kind of squash that will keep until March or anything, but since I have limited space and will probably only have a few mature kikuzas at the end of the season, I can certainly manage to eat them in time, I think. I love winter squash so much that I could easily eat it in some form every day. If I didn't worry about upsetting the neighbors, I'd turn my front lawn into a squash patch!
Baker Creek has it, but I'm feeling a little gun shy on them after the "not Black Futsu" (obviously crossed seed) I got from them this year.
Sustainable Seed Co. has it, but they don't seem to know anything about what they're selling. After some e-mail back and forth because of the strange advice they were giving me, the exasperated rep told me all the growing info was on the website and sent me a link to Cucuzza, LOL. I guess they thought I didn't know how to spell "Cucuzza" and didn't bother to check whether they sell something called "Kikuza". So not a lot of confidence in what they're selling, either.
Unfortunately, the two companies I usually buy Asian seed from, Evergreen (which has had declining service lately and sent me some really old, bad seed last time I ordered) and Kitazawa don't sell it. Maybe if I request it, Kitazawa might consider stocking it.
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Sorry I'm late to the K party but I couldn't remember where this thread was at first.
Yes, treat it as you would a winter squash,I let it stay on the vine until the first light frost occurred, but the important part is letting it cure correctly.
No,it doesn't last as long in strorage as the hubbards or butternuts, buttercups, etc ,more like a Delicata which also don't store that long.
IMO the person who knows THE most about squash varieties is Glenn Drowns of Sand Hill Preservation
http://sandhillpreservation.com/
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...k1.QXx9nC3MpD0
For many years Glenn was the Curator of Cucurbits for SSE and it was his responsibility to keep those varieties going, thousands of them squash,melons,cukes, h20 melons, etc.
He is also adedicated person re heirloom poultry, and has been asked to jury such meets and also served on the National Council of Heirloom birdies..I love reading the poultry section,lots of genetics and who wouldn't like a variety called Shmoo.
His real day job is as a teacher at a local HS and he hires some of those students in the summer b'c he also lists over 400 tomato varieties and sells no seeds over 2 yo,remarkable. I thumbed through his catalog last night,he no longer sends out catalogs now,just too expensive,just the website, gets a limited number of catalogs and sends them to folks who send him seeds or help in other ways, and this year I sent him seeds for 22 new tomato varieties and he came back and asked for 20 more.
Look at his squash section, and for me it was memory lane recognizing varieties I used to grow.And yes Futsu was there.
If you want to order anything from him,there are no baskets,no e-mail or phone ordering,you just send in your order and note when he and his wife Linda do accept orders.
When Jere Gettle started Baker Creek,he knew where to go,and yes to Glenn who sent him starter seeds for I don 't know how many varieties of various cucurbits. One main difference is that Jere actually his manager, subcontracts out for seed production and Glenn grows all his own so knows if all is right.Jere also got his first heirloom birdies from Glenn that I guess still run around his place,or baby birdies from same.
Lastly, Glenn and Linda are two of the most out standing individuals I've known in terms of honesty and compassion and about everything in nature.
If you want to you can go to the Seed and Plant Forum here at Tville and read the thread that was put up by someone for Sandhill.
Carolyn