Still have a stored winter squash...

[habitat_gardener]

I still have several Shark Fin melons (C. ficifolia) from last fall. I cut open the first one this week.

Someone gave me a seedling last year and it was the most vigorous squash vine in my garden. She told me later that the best way to open them is to drop them on the ground. I put the squash in a plastic bag, went outside, and dropped it on the concrete patio. The first time, it bounced. I dropped it a few more times, and finally it cracked open. Once it was halfway cracked, I was able to use a knife to cut it the rest of the way. The rind came off relatively easily, too.

It's sort of like a spaghetti squash inside, but white with black seeds. I like to try foods on their own before creating recipes. Raw, it tasted like the white juicy part of watermelon (just under the pink part), which I like. Cooked, it tastes like a cross between watermelon rind and winter squash -- refreshing. It's used in the "famous" French angel-hair marmalade, according to one website, and is often used in desserts and beverages.

I've read that the vines can be 15-45 ft. and the tips are an edible green. If I have space, I'll grow it again. It's a different species from other cucurbits, so it doesn't need to be isolated from them if you want to save seeds.