So, turns out zucchini just turns into a winter squash if you leave it on the vine until first frost. I have kept this zucca on top of my fridge to harvest the seeds and finally got around to it Monday. Well I cut it open and the skin was hard like a pumpkin. And then the flesh inside was basically like a pumpkin.... So after scrapping it out I just baked it like a squash and made it into a curried soup. And guess what - tastes like winter squash. Huge eureka moment for me. I learned this summer how to cook the leaves and the blossoms, and now I know the giant zucca can be stored and cooked like winter squash. It's delicious and I'll absolutely let a few more go this way at the end of next season.
