how do you transform a tomato into another vegetable?

19 years ago

you throw it in the air, and it comes down SQUASH! (joke credit goes to my seven-year-old son...)

sometime in june, i saw this vine crawl out of blackberry bed i mulched heavily with kitchen waste. i kept meaning to yank it out, but somehow kept forgetting. then i went out of town for three weeks. castorp, who was looking after my garden in my absence, asked me what squash i was growing. i had no idea.

when i got back a week ago, i had a perfect 1# butternut squash. i guess it only set one fruit before it got too hot.

we ate it tonight, coated with a fiery spice rub and roaasted until it was so done you could eat the rind, too. on a bed of rice, with lentils. fresh tomatoes for dessert. (mmmmm....) perfect.

i bet if i tried a dozen times to replicate this -- to grow a winter squash in july in central FLA -- it would never again work.

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Comments (8)

shelrose
19 years ago
LOL! Congrats on the surprise squash! Dinner sounds good too!

--Shelbey
solstice98
19 years ago
I agree! That sounds great.
This squash was pure luck, but what a delightful surprise! The right amount of shade combined with a dash of gardener's skill, I suppose.

Thanks for the goofy joke too - my 6 year old great-nephew will love it.

Kate
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guapogardener
19 years ago
LOL...I thought this was going to be a Harry Potter answer!

Beautiful picture of that squash!
msmarion
19 years ago
I thought for sure Tony would be in on this one! LOL Butternut squash is one of my favorite veggies to grow and to eat. A must for the winter holiday dinners. I haven't grown any since moving to FL, but I've still got time.
treefrog_fl
19 years ago
I'm gonna hafta try that.
You say you just throw a tomato in the air and it comes down squash?
Excellent, cuz planting seeds with compost and mulch, nurturing them along never works for me.
manature
19 years ago
Hehehehe...I'm with Treefrog. I've never gotten a single one to grow using the traditional methods. Better try throwing a tomato in the air and see if I, too, can have yummy butternut squash for roasting! My very favorite winter veggie. I like to cut them in chunks, cook them with chicken broth and onions, puree, and serve as a soup with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of Caribbean Jerk seasoning. *drool*

Great story and photo, Ill! And a pretty cute joke, too!

Marcia
Nicki
19 years ago
I love those garden surprises! I ususally find interesting things in the compost heap. Green onions, tomato seedlings...

Your meal sounded yummy!
gardencpa
19 years ago
Just goes to show I have a 7 year old's sense of humor because I had to laugh out loud. Do your kids eat squash? I could never get mine to touch it.