Every season there is a star, a variety that exceeds our expectations either with fruitful bounty or with taste. Last summer it was chayote. This past summer the star was Trombetta di Albenga, an Italian, heirloom, vining squash, that when picked early tastes similar to zucchini only better.
It can be grown either along the ground, which makes the fruits curl
or along a fence which allows the fruits to hang straight.
If the fruit is not picked it can grow very large (5-6 ft), though at this point it is no longer edible but can be used like a gourd.
The most amazing thing about this variety is that its November and its still fruiting.
One interesting observation, in the early part of the summer there were many male flowers and fewer female flowers, now at the end of the season, there are many female flowers but very few male flowers.
To insure pollination we manually brought the male and female flowers together. The male is on the left.
A couple of week later, a botanical offspring…
