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Mature Cucurbita Pepo edibility/palatability

 
Cy Cobb
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So, I know that Cucurbita Pepo probably has the widest variability within the species in terms of practical uses, but beyond gourd craft, fall decor, and eating them as immature "summer squash", how many pepo's are good to eat as mature "Winter Squash"?  I can only think of two varieties, and they are both sugar/pie pumpkin types.  I feel like with so many pepo's out there, surely I'm missing some varieties/uses.  

What Cucurbita Pepo varieties do you know of that are good as "winter squash" & how do you use them for cooking?

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Mike Haasl
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I believe acorn squash is a pepo and it's a pretty good winter storage squash.

We let some zucchini mature to save seeds from them and they're surprisingly good to eat after sitting in the basement for 2.5 months (peeled).

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I'll still be eating giant zucchini in March. I don't know that it's the best thing ever, but it isn't bad and takes a sauce nicely.
 
Cy Cobb
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Now that you mention it, I remember delicata, sweet dumpling, carnival, and the various other acorns are pepos too, but I've not yet tried them. I will though... just trying to add some squash species variety to the growing list.

Do you guys make noodles with your mature zucchini?  I've had the spiral noodles before, & I'd eat them again.  Wasn't sure if they are made from older/ larger squash?

Dirty hands + a sweaty handkerchief = hope for the future.

 
Catie George
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Oddly, pepos are the longest lasting squash in my storage conditions. They also grow the best - I struggle to grow squash

I ate a mature zucchini from last year the same week I  harvested my first green zucchini this year.  

I like them as mature squash b They are milder flavoured than the other squash and the acorns are about the right size for a meal.

I do have an issue where my most productive Pepo squash for 2 years in a row has had an off taste I am not fond of. But it literally produces 5x as much as any other squash I grow. Other pepos have been the tastiest/sweetest squash I have ever eaten!
 
Cy Cobb
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Catie George,

Perhaps you could try hand pollinating your best tasting varieties onto your most prolific varieties?  Maybe you'll end up after a few generations with your best tasting & most plentiful harvest yet?

Dirty hands + a sweaty handkerchief = hope for the future.

 
Rebecca Norman
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Spaghetti squash is pepo, and I'm told that after it is left to ripen out in the garden, it gets its best flavor and is a good keeper. I have no personal experience of it, though.

Delicatas are said not to be very good keepers. I ate mine when newly ripe so I don't know personally.

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Mike Haasl
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Crap, I didn't realize spaghetti squash were pepo too.  I'll have to grow out my seeds I saved this year to check if I accidentally got a cross :(

Spaghetti squash keep forever!  We still have one left from our 2021 harvest in the basement.  So they easily keep a year in a cool spot.

I make a Maple Syrup instructional movie! Check it out HERE
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Cy Cobb
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I've been researching various sugar pie pumpkins, & I think that for now at least, that's the direction I want to go. Most range from 2-6 pounds, & from what I've read, are fairly prolific in yield.  I'm mainly looking for a good pepo pumpkin that I can grow with my maxima & moschata mixes.  I did manage to get a half dozen or so to start with, but not sure if the newer varieties are sweeter, more flavorful, or more resistant to mildew/pests than the traditional ones?  


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Thomas Dean
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We have a hybrid (assumed pepo) that looks like a zucchini with ridges sort of like an acorn squash.  My wife hates them.  The flavor is bland, like a poor quality acorn, but they are big and store AMAZINGLY well.

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