Winter squash

The weather has turned. The forecast is for 6C overnight. Time then for the winter squash harvest which is now curing on the greenhouse staging. 32kg in total.

UK rainfall map - although central, for rain Nottingham is on the dry, eastern side of the country.

We’re on the dry side of the country and the very dry conditions of this summer didn’t allow the squash to bulk up quite as we’d hoped but a useful crop nevertheless and as you’d expect, all organic and no-dig. Smaller squash are more manageable with less waste.

Winter squash curing in the greenhouse..

Crown Prince, Autumn King, Uchiki Kuri and, mysteriously, a Turks Turban. Mysteriously because we didn’t sow any seed of this variety. Welcome all-the-same as it is an heirloom

variety (predating 1820) and, unlike modern F1’s Crown Prince and Autumn King, will come true from collected seed.

Turks Turban squash ripening - a whopping 3.4kg.

Winter squash is a nutritious, low-calorie food, rich in fibre, Vitamin A (as beta-carotene), Vitamin C, potassium and folate.

We usually cook without skins removed as many nutrients are found immediately beneath the skin.

Plenty to keep us going, roasted and/or in soups.

184 kg of vegetables from the garden so far this year.