Can we eat these "volunteer" squash?

[JoeWras]

I love to garden, but I'm still somewhat of a novice. I compost everything non-animal and use it as a garden amendment.

Sometimes the compost doesn't get too hot, and my amendments result in volunteer plants the following years. Usually it is of vegetables or flowers I recognize. I usually go with it and enjoy them or move them. Some of the best tomatoes have been volunteers.

This year I got a volunteer squash that is taking over the world. We joke it is like the "Jack and the Beanstalk" story. It has been fun to watch this huge thing grow. DW primarily buys "spaghetti" squash. We were hoping it was one of those. But I don't think it is. She thinks it may be the spawn of a decorative squash we composted late in the year, when the compost is cool. I think she may be right.

So here's our new friend. Can we eat this? Is it worth continuing to culture for food? Or should we just prepare for a decorative gourd?

 

[skyking1]

do your own due diligence, but I have not heard of a non-edible squash. On the other hand, I have tried a few marginally palatable ones. definitely YMMV there.

 

[Sojourner]

Yes, you can eat that. It appears to be "yellow crookneck", a perfectly edible variety of summer squash. The skin can be a little tough/fibrous, so I'd recommend using a peeler to get the outer layer of skin off before you cook them.

 

[Act2]

I’m no squash expert but it looks like the decorative gourds I buy to decorate each autumn in memory of my Mom who did the same.

Oh that it was autumn now, and not over 100 degrees Fahrenheit every day!

 

[BOBOT]

We also get volunteers in our compost, sometimes something edible. For several years we've gotten daffodils! Some critter must be moving the bulbs...

 

[NW-Bound]

Many of the veggies are better consumed when still young. They may grow fibrous or tough when mature.

We often just steam squash cut into rounds in the microwave. A bit of Mrs Dash seasoning, and it makes a good and simple side dish to whatever protein you are eating.

 

[cathy63]

... I have not heard of a non-edible squash...

Coyote squash that grows wild in the southwest U.S. is inedible (for humans at least, some animals do eat it). I don't know if it will actually make you sick or if it just tastes bad though.

edit: OP's picture is definitely not coyote squash.

 

[MissMolly]

I don't think that is a squash. Looks exactly like ornamental gourds I used to grow. I've never seen a crookneck squash that bumpy but my gourds were always bumpy like that. Looks closer to this picture of gourds.

 

[JoeWras]

I did another search and found out that eating them is "negotiable."

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/gourd/are-gourds-edible.htm

We might try a young one and perhaps reserve the rest for decor. I'll try to remember to report back, if I live.

 

[aja8888]

I did another search and found out that eating them is "negotiable."

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/gourd/are-gourds-edible.htm

We might try a young one and perhaps reserve the rest for decor. I'll try to remember to report back, if I live.

Just add bacon and you are good to go! Invite some friends, have cold beer handy. Oh, read the fireworks thread for some entertainment tips!

 

[Graybeard]

do your own due diligence, but I have not heard of a non-edible squash. On the other hand, I have tried a few marginally palatable ones. definitely YMMV there.

There are plenty of non edible squashes, they are ornamentals.

 

[audreyh1]

I would eat it only if I knew what variety of squash it was and that it was edible.

We had volunteer butternut squash in the compost one year. We ate those.

 

[Graybeard]

If you grow hybrid vegetables then hybrid volunteer plants may not be the same as the parent the seed came from. Size, color and especially flavor could be very different. If you grow any hybrids you should not save the seeds just buy new seed when you need it. Now if you grow open pollenated vegetables, then the volunteers are true to type and should be the same as the parent plant. I grow open pollenated vegetables so I just save seeds for the next seasons with 1 exception Sun Gold cherry tomatoes.

 

[38Chevy454]

Looks more like a gourd than a crookneck squash. You can probably eat it without problem, but it might not taste good or be easy to eat. I would classify most all squash in the same category as not taste good though.

 

[JoeWras]

If you grow hybrid vegetables then hybrid volunteer plants may not be the same as the parent the seed came from. Size, color and especially flavor could be very different. If you grow any hybrids you should not save the seeds just buy new seed when you need it. Now if you grow open pollenated vegetables, then the volunteers are true to type and should be the same as the parent plant. I grow open pollenated vegetables so I just save seeds for the next seasons with 1 exception Sun Gold cherry tomatoes.

Yep. I'm even suspecting that these volunteers are the true type of some hybrid decorative we got last year. These don't look as nice as I recall.

In a similar way, ever see a plant that decides to grow from the root stock of a graft? I've seen neighbors lose their hybrid dogwoods and roses to sprouts from the root below the graft. One dogwood tree was kind of cool, it was half white, half pink. Roses revert to some tiny rose flower.

 

[CincyDave]

I've grown yellow squash a lot and they are yellow even when little. This looks like some type of gourd to me. Personally, I wouldn't eat it. I'd use it for decoration in the fall.

 

[pacergal]

I agree that looks more like a gourd.

We finally bought a compost bin, as our dog used to get in and eat the compost. Yuck.

Every year, we got some volunteer plants growing: tomatoes, pumpkins, potatoes, onions. Never the same thing. This year, DH kept a small pile of compost just to see, and yup! Tomatoes, onions are here.

 

[NW-Bound]

From the Web:

Why can't you eat a gourd?

Ornamental gourds and hybrid garden squash should not be eaten. Some cucurbits are toxic and contain cucurbitacins, substances that are highly irritating and bitter.

Uh Oh!

Another Web page says:

So, can I eat gourds or not?

Technically, yes, but there are some inherent difficulties in eating gourds. Mainly, they're hard to cook, hard to eat, and...well, for the most part, you probably just don't want to eat them. It's kind of like how you can eat fondant, but it's mostly decorative and doesn't taste great.

Just add bacon and you are good to go! Invite some friends, have cold beer handy. Oh, read the fireworks thread for some entertainment tips!

It could be that bacon is a powerful detox. Or it could bind with cucurbitacins and keeps the latter from harming you.

One way to find out is to try with bacon first. Then, try without to see if there's a difference. Of course, there's a chance that you don't want to try again after the 1st shot. But how else does one make any discovery?

 

[JoeWras]

Well after reading this, DW has decided we have fall decorations.

So the verdict for us is: don't eat them.

Appreciate the input on this fun topic. I'm still waiting to see what our volunteer tomato will produce, if anything. It is slow.

 

[Morgan22]

Well after reading this, DW has decided we have fall decorations.

In that case, instructions on how to prepare them for fall:
https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-dry-or-cure-gourds-1403445

 

[JoeWras]

Thanks. For now I'm enjoying watching this vine grow 3 inches per day. Amazing. Almost like Kudzu

 

[JoeWras]

This plant has become a beast! It is taking over the entire yard, producing wart-ridden, inedible gourds. I'll be taking it out because it is in the way.

The good news is I've gotten confidence to at least try real squash next year.

Pictures. On the left of the raised bed is The Beast. On the right are well behaved cucumbers, still producing well! And of course, another picture of my ugly.

 

[CincyDave]

If there's ever an ugly gourd contest, you've got the blue ribbon!

 

[NW-Bound]

This plant has become a beast! It is taking over the entire yard, producing wart-ridden, inedible gourds. I'll be taking it out because it is in the way.

The good news is I've gotten confidence to at least try real squash next year.

Pictures. On the left of the raised bed is The Beast. On the right are well behaved cucumbers, still producing well! And of course, another picture of my ugly.

You are not even tempted to take a tiny teeny bite? Just to see the taste and the texture.

Even if it is not good to eat, it is not so toxic to kill you with just one teaspoonful or a nibble.

 

[SecondAttempt]

That looks like bitter melon. Very tasty in pinakbet and other southeast asian and Filipino dishes. Easy to find in grocery stores in Hawaii.

It's called bitter melon because if you cook it wrong it tastes awful. If you cook it right it is delicious. Keep in mind that most recipes you find online tell you to cook it WRONG. It is critical to keep it covered while cooking and do not uncover for any reason, not even briefly to stir.