In article ,
Janet Galpin wrote:

Please could you say a bit more about how the hubbard varieties compare
with butternut in terms of taste, time taken to mature and keeping
qualities. I'm just trying to get to grips with the range of different
types available.

Here is the Nick summary, which is not entirely reliable, as the data
I have seen is contradictory. I should dearly appreciate corrections
from anyone who knows more, but I get the impression that even the
experts are confused and disagree on much of this.

C. pepo: usually with a thinnish, smooth skin, with flattish, smooth,
not-thick skinned seeds, often watery and low on flavour. Most
summer squashes are C. pepo, and the best keeping one I know of is
Little Gem.

C. maxima: usually with a wrinkled, thick skin, with rounded, rough,
thick skinned seeds, much higher in starch than C. pepo. They have a
similar flavour and texture to chestnuts or WHITE sweet potato. They
include hubbards, Queensland blue etc., and I have not found any worth
eating unripe.

C. moschata: physically much like C. pepo, but with somewhat higher
starch and much higher sugar content, and with a flavour and texture
rather like ORANGE sweet potato. Like that, I find them sickly and
slimy. All right, this analysis is based entirely on butternut being
the type species :-)

Marrows are sometimes called P. ovifera and sometimes lumped in with
C. pepo. Pumpkins have traditionally been called C. maxima, but I
believe that is erroneous, and they are C. pepo.

Some people say that C. pepo and C. maxima hybridise (which might
account for pumpkins), others that C. maxima and C. moschata do, and
others say that there is virtually no hybridisation.

This year I also have Delicata which isn't doing all that much yet but
which I gather should be quite prolific and be useful for immediate
eating as well as for medium term storage. It's offered by quite a lot
of seed companies so I'm hoping to be impressed soon!

Please tell us what it is like.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.