What is the difference between a Squash and a Gourd?
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| Scores of squash varieties are available for cooking or decorating |
What is the difference between a Squash and a Gourd?
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| The colors of fall Squash have one of the longest records of being a cultivated vegetable in the world. They were first used 10,000-8,000 years ago in Mexico, about 4,000 years before the development of maize or corn as a domesticated crop. Many varieties were developed by Native Americans. In the early 1600s, Europeans adopted Squash into their diets to survive the long hard New England Winters and Squash is believed to have been eaten at the First Thanksgiving. |
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| Most of these are great for pumpkin pies
"Squash” first appears as an English word about 1640. It came from the Narragansett word “askutasquash” which translates to “eaten uncooked.” Many recipes for squash soup can be found among early New England documents. |
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| Pumpkin pie anyone? |
The Iroquois demonstrated the “Three Sisters” method of growing Squash to Europeans. Corn, Pole beans and Squash form the “Three Sisters” which are planted in a Hill or Mound together, rather than a straight row. First, six kernels of corn are planted in a circle about 2 feet in diameter after all chance of frost has passed. The beans are planted after the Corn is a foot tall. Finally, about 4-6 weeks (about 1 and a half months) later the Squash seeds are planted. Corn provided the support for the beans; the Beans provide nitrogen to the soil to benefit all three vegetables. The large prickly leaves of the Squash provide shade to the soil, keeping it cool and moist, crowding out weeds and keeping the raccoons and other scavengers away.
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| Three Sisters Photo Courtesy of MD Grows Blog 2017 In modern vegetable gardens, there are two categories of Squash: Summer and Winter. Summer Squash consists of Zucchini, Spaghetti Squash, Patty Pan Squash, Crookneck Squash, and the like. They are grown and harvested in the Summer because they have a very thin shell. |
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| Squash and gourds take up less space when grown vertically |
Despite the name, Winter Squash and Gourds are also grown in the Summertime. The thicker outer shell makes them stronger, and they have a longer growing season than the Summer Squash. Seeds must be planted in the late Spring, after all threat of frost has passed. In Central Maryland, a planting date of just after Mother’s Day is ideal for Summer and Winter Squash and Gourds too. Winter Squash have a lot of nutrients, such as beta carotene, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Potassium, and plenty of fiber.
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| Beautifully diverse shapes and colors |
Many Gourds originated in Africa and were mostly grown for the useful hard shell that can be dried and hollowed out to make containers, utensils, tools, musical instruments, and bird houses. The versatile gourd was used for many thousands of years in African, Asian, and European. In fact, one subspecies of bottle gourd has been discovered in archaeological sites from as early as 13,000 BC. The word “Gourd” entered the English language about 1325 from the Old French “coorde”. Today, we tend to use Gourds as purely decorative items for our Autumn and Thanksgiving Displays. The more adventuresome folks will dry Gourds and use the hard outer shell to make items, just like our forebears.
Valley View Farms sells Gourd and Squash seeds for planting in the Spring. We also offer locally grown Summer Squash starts such as Zucchini and Straight neck Squash in the Greenhouse in Late Spring. However, in the Fall we offer a wide selection of Squash, Pumpkins and Gourds out in the Pumpkin Patch for Fall cooking and decorating.
