How are the Trombettas and Cucuzzi doing?
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Both are definitely cyclical. The T that was wilting every day & looking yellowish (bottom leaves) has just finished a cycle of producing new squash - 9 of ‘em! I used 2 in stew & just peeled and cut up 7 more to make some dishes this weekend.
Have you noticed anything weird about the Trombetta juice? After cutting up a bunch, I had a ‘film’ of juice on my hands that scrubbing pretty hard didn’t really take off. It dried and cracked - could peel it off in thin sheets. I had to wash my hands a couple of times to get it all off. It was also hard to get off the cutting board, some ended up on the granite counter top & required some real elbow grease to get it off .... and it’s a total stinker to get off my peeler. I have to soak the peeler in a cup of hot water with a drop of detergent, then scrub every tiny blade multiple times to get off the T juice that is stuck on.
The cucuzza is a heart breaker. I got one nice one and have had no more. A couple weeks ago, it was all boy blooms. About two weeks ago, I got a boatload of females, but no boys were blooming, so no pollination. The last couple of days, I have both blooming (maybe 4-6 females, couple of boys) so maybe I’ll get another cucuzza before the season ends.
Then do what sockmonkey suggested earlier in the season
then get a "Q-tip" and infuse it with male pollen , then place in a baggie in the refridge/freezer
until female flowers appear .
That should solve your pollination probem, along with the timeing of amele pollinators .
Hmm, I haven't noticed that, but I tend to squirt stuff with 90% rubbing alcohol to get it really clean..wash with detergent and hot water, rinse, squirt with alcohol, wait about fifteen-20 seconds, and rinse again..
My one friend jokes that my kitchen smells like a doctor's office. I have a trombetta to zoodle, or do something with tomorrow. I will see if I notice any weird film.
I juice stuff alot, and IIRC, cukes, and lemons are a little "filmy" on the cutting board.
Yeah, that T juice can act like glue sometimes! If you can get it before it dries, dish soap will help. After it dries you just about need a sander.
The good thing about it, though, is if you’re only using part of a squash, you can smear that juice over the cut end and it will seal it enough to keep a few more days.