FREE: Tromboncino squash: a delicious Italian heirloom

The listing, Tromboncino squash: a delicious Italian heirloom has ended.

The Italians call this summer/winter squash tromboncino, ("little trombone"), or zucchino rampicante, which, loosely translated means :"mad-dog zucchini".

This is your usual summer squash’s out-of control relative, with even more productive bounty and myriad uses in the kitchen. The tender light green fruits can be picked at baby size (with the flowers still on them) or at any time til they are about 16" long!

What even better is that this is a winter squash too! Left on the vine the slender green baby squash mature into ginormous long-neck adults (see 2-part picture - and that one that grew into a full circle in the last picture is almst 2 ft across - so more than 5 ft long.

This is a c. moschata type squash - a relative of the butternut - but with richer denser meat. It works great roasted or baked (all that seedless neck makes it very easy to prepare). Traditionally, ltalian cooks use it for a savory ravioli filling.

Another thing: this is a very vigorous climbing vine, with big varigated leaves & showy flowers -- and going vertical is a great way to save space in your garden. (I have one growing in a pot that has spread itself along the top of 15' of chainlink fence in one direction, and is headed up over an arbor in the other.)

Then there's the funny-factor: these squash grow into all sorts of fairly rude shapes and squeeze themselves through the fence while growing almost an inch a day. If you want relatively straight squash, you have to trellis them and arrange the baby squash so they hang freely.

This auction is for 7 seeds