Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Tromboncino – Not perfect, but very good

I enjoy growing butternut squash for the dual purpose of being able to use them as both a winter squash and as a summer squash. Often, during the summer, we will go north for a little while to come home on a day when we just can’t get to shopping. This is when I enjoy going out to the garden and getting the family something to eat. In order to do this I need to know that I can use my food whenever I am ready for it. That is where butternut squash varieties excel – specifically Tromboncino.




The Tromboncino keeps a very nice flesh texture throughout its growth from a small summer squash to a very long winter squash. It is fun to see how long it will become and to see how it will curve before it hardens up. Being a butternut variety the plant vigor and disease resistance are good with this variety - especially with reguards to the Squash Vine Borer. However, if you have any kind of sap-sucking creature in your yard, it may make it difficult for the female flowers to set fruit. Apparently the bugs like it as much as people do. Additionally, if the fruit sets under direct sun while the temperature is very high it may have difficulty setting before the sun shrivels the blossom. Other than that it is an all-around good variety and top rated among many gardeners.


A winter Tromboncino butternut squash is very tasty

As an additional note, since this is an Italian variety, the Italians have taken the growing of their squash to a science. Here is a very good Italian webpage with very helpful information (should you want to translate it) about the Tromboncino squash.


Female Tromboncino Squash Blossom

2 comments:

  1. So.... why not perfect? What's your perfect squash?
    Cheers,
    Malcolm

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey there Malcolm,

    Though they are very versatile and tasty, I really prefer the Delicata squash varieties. The Candystick Delicata I grew produced a lot more fruits, howbeit quite a bit shorter. The texture of both the Candystick and the Tromboncino is pretty fine (not stringy). I would have to say that there is a certain robust quality to the Delicata squash - perhaps they contain a bit more umami than some butternuts. As it goes with butternuts, the Tromboncino is pretty good though.

    ReplyDelete

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