I usually pick my Tromboncino squash immature when they are about 18 inches long and have the texture of spring/summer zucchini. But this year, I left two of them on the vine to become winter squash instead. Had thought about taking them to a family-reunion Thanksgiving dinner. Wondering when to pick them for best flavor or if that’s even a sensible plan at all.
One of them has fully turned tan, the other is still mostly pale green. The skin is fairly hard and leathery, but I can still dent it with a fingernail. The stems of both look full, like they are still functioning, not shriveled and brown. I’ve never grown any of the usual fall/winter squash like butternut.
NE Texas. Our first frost is usually around 10 November. Thanks!
by NPKzone8a
5 Comments
I would leave them either til you want to eat them or first frost. Whichever comes first.
They will keep on the vine just fine. The only thing I’ve had to watch out for is when the vine collapses if they end up touching the ground something will come and eat them. Also – if you haven’t tried this yet – I got marvelous lasagne noodles by spiral slicing trombinos. Not spiralizing into zoodles, but with a long flat blade, to make a long flat noodle. There’s a kitchen aid accessory that does this (*vegetable sheet cutter attachment with noodle blade*), and I’m sure other brands have one too. It’s the most satisfying application of this vegetable, as well as being a particular treat for me to have lasagne again after 22 years without wheat noodles.
From the first pic I was fully sure that you were growing baguettes
Thinking about growing these next season. Would you recommend? I’ve heard they’re SVB resistant and are also pretty delicious. We love eating such and butternut squash so it sounds like this would be right up our alley.
Didn’t realize you could pick them at different growth stages for different flavors/textures!
I grow a lot of tromboncini and I’ve never seen one that straight. You have to tell me how you do that.
I usually harvest a ton of tromboncino as summer squash and leave one or two to mature fully. I don’t pick the ones I’m letting mature until they have the brownish color of a mature butternut squash, which is the same species. I’d leave it on the vine until one of the following is true:
-Mature brown color,
-Vine is totally dead,
-Frost expected that night, or
-I want to cook it right away, even if it’s not 100% ripe.