Spaghetti squash

Pumpkins are a favourite for the home gardener and the cook – nothing like a bowl of warming pumpkin soup or roasted as an accompaniment to chicken or other meat. For something a bit different why not consider planting spaghetti marrow/squash or gem squash as these varieties have ‘strands’ of textured flesh similar to fine spaghetti, hence the name.

Gem squash fruit and flower

They are easy to grow, planted in spring/summer in a full sun position, and around 14-16 weeks later are ready for harvest. These winter squash, which will store well for up to 3 months are best picked when the skin has taken on a golden hue – gem squash are often sold in the marketplace while the skins are dark green but by allowing to ripen to a deep orange they also have a longer keeping shelf life.

While squash can be boiled, steaming or baking is a better option to retain the texture and flavour. Spaghetti squash is oblong so can be halved lengthways with seeds removed while gem squash, which are round softball size are good halved for individual serves. When they are left to ripen to a dark gold colour the skin becomes harder and holds shape well– you could even scoop out the flesh, then refill the shell for serving with your finished combo and top with grated cheese.
(A word of warning, don’t put a whole squash in the microwave – it might explode and blow the door off!)

Squash is rather delicate in taste but can make an excellent vehicle to carry other flavours. Before cooking, fill the cavity with a knob of butter, a sprig of thyme leaves, (or a sprinkling of Middle Eastern spice mix) a crushed clove of garlic and salt and pepper to taste.

Add curry past to gem squash (photo by Gail Thomas)

Alternatively scrape out cooked flesh and top with a sauce – pesto is good – as you would for pasta. For another interesting presentation add a teaspoon of rendang paste mixed with a little water coconut milk to the cavity, No Worries Curries rendang paste is a good Australian-made product, and bake in the oven. You can also toss cubes of any pumpkin in the paste before baking this hearty dish.

A cornucopia of produce

I’ve had a cornucopia of cucurbits this year, with lots of ‘Black Beauty’ zucchini and and bright yellow button squash. The pumpkins are not producing as prolifically because I planted them in an out of the way position with not enough sun, but the plants are still growing and the pumpkins are getting bigger. Unfortunately, for the last few weeks the powdery mildew has also been growing. Powdery mildew is a fungus that attacks cucurbits (zucchini, marrow, pumpkin, cucumber etc) and grapevines, some fruit trees and a range of other plants including begonias and roses. It first appears as pale grey spots on the surface of leaves, spreading to cover the whole leaf and stem. If untreated, eventually the whole plant will shrivel, brown and die. Powdery mildew is most prevalent in moderately dry regions, when the weather starts to cool in autumn and where water sits on foliage for long periods. Almost counterintuitively, it is less likely to be a problem in wet weather as well as very hot, dry weather.

This yellow and black ladybird dines exclusively on powdery mildew

Yellow button squash bear prolifically but are quite susceptible to fungal infections

The first sign I had of it’s presence a couple of weeks ago were the delightful small yellow and black ladybird Illeis galbula. These cute bugs feed exclusively on powdery mildew (such an unexciting diet, imagine spending your whole life eating nothing but powdery mildew!). Its almost worth having this fungal problem just so these ladybirds can find a home and food in your garden. As soon as I realised that powdery mildew was around, I carefully cut out affected leaves and stems, and instead of putting them into the bin (which is what you should do to stop it spreading), I put them into a remote corner well away from anything else that could be affected. This meant that the ladybirds could keep feeding and build up their populations and so come back to the plants when they became reinfected. One thing I have learnt is that in our climate at this time of year, you can never completely rid your garden of powdery mildew. But you can slow it down and get a few more weeks harvest from your plants.

Once you’ve removed the obviously affected leaves, spray the rest of the plant with nettle or milk spray. I start with milk and alternate with nettle. See the recipes below. Always spray in the morning or you might exacerbate the problem. Otherwise, don’t water the leaves especially in the evening and thin them out so they are not so crowded.

Leaves completely covered in powdery mildew

Other sprays that have been used to control powdery mildew are allocasuarina, bicarbonate of soda, chamomile, chives, elder, garlic chives, hyssop, mustards and white cedar.

Milk spray
In the 1990s Wagner Bettiol of the Brazillian Agricultural Research Corporation noticed that byproducts from milk processing factories killed powdery mildew on zucchini crops. His subsequent experiments showed that it was not only as effective as registered commercial fungicides but that it also acted as foliar fertilizer and boosted the plants immune system. In Australia milk spray has been trialled on crops like wine grapes in several Australian states.  It has been found to be as effective against powdery mildew as non-organic fungicides on some grape varieties in most conditions. Other trials have also shown that there is negligible difference between full cream, skinny and even powdered milk.

Water cucumber plants with nettle spray to lessen the risk of downy mildew

Recipe Combine I part milk (preferably organic) with 9 parts water and use immediately. Spray the entire leaf, top and underneath, once a week. Spraying is more effective if plants are not grown too closely together and if the spray is used as soon as the problem occurs.

Nettle spray
The perennial stinging nettle Urtica dioica grows from a spreading rootstock to 1m in height in good conditions. The opposite leaves are dark green, crinkled and toothed and have a pointed tip. The whole plant is downy in appearance and covered with stinging spines, which can be very painful when brushed against. An antidote for a nettle sting is the juice of the nettle itself but dock, rosemary, mint or sage leaves rubbed on the wound will also relieve the sting. Nettle spray acts as a mild fungicide and general tonic, making plants more resistant to diseases and pests. It is sprayed on leaves or watered around plants to prevent fungal attack, especially powdery mildew.

Recipe Cover a firmly packed cupful of chopped nettles with 1L of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool, strain and use within a few days.

Turk's Turban, Delicata, Potimarron, Australian Butter, Buttercup and Bohemian are just a few of the heirloom varieties of pumpkins available to grow.

Heirloom varieties of squash, gourds and small pumpkins

At Petty’s Orchard they held the Heritage Apple Day with over 100 varieties of apples to try. From the beautiful sweet dessert apples like Cox’s Orange Pippen to the more tart but sublime when cooked Edward VII (a late season English cooking apple first recorded in 1902) , and even cider apples like Dabinett, an old Somerset cider apple producing bittersweet cider.

Such a rich panoply of tastes and textures, colours and scents. So much to loose if we don’t make an effort to preserve our heritage of varieties. So what can we all do? It’s pretty simple really, support the organizations and companies that sell these precious seed and grow unusual varieties of vegetables and fruit. Grow these vegetables and harvest and store our own seed, that way we help to preserve genetic diversity for future generations. Volunteer for the organizations that keep these fruit going, like the Heritage Fruits Society — PW

Scarlet Stymared

Sweet Coppin