Squash Musquée de Provence seeds - Cucurbita moschata

The Winter Squash Musquee de Provence is a beautiful spherical squash with wide ribs, slightly flattened on top. Its dark green skin evolves to orange as the season progresses, indicating the time for harvest.

The fruits are characterized by their gigantic size: 50 kg is almost ordinary. The plants can run up to 6 m (20ft). The squash plants are greedy and thirsty. With such dimensions, it is advisable to layer the stems by covering them with soil. This will generate new roots in that area, which will draw the nutrients that the fruits need to be as beautiful as possible. The Winter Musquee de Provence squash produces large sweet, musky flesh that can easily be stored for over a year in good conditions.

Zucchinis and squashes are low in calories but rich in vitamins, especially provitamin A, vitamin B, and minerals.

Orange, green, red, yellow, black, or even blue, smooth, ribbed, warty, with tender skin, etc. squashes and zucchinis offer us an astonishing variety of shapes, colors, and sizes, as they hybridize with disconcerting ease. That's why there are so many varieties.

In common language, winter squash refers to all kinds of pumpkins, potimarrons, and butternuts with tough skin and delicately sweet flesh. By summer squashes or zucchinis, we mean the different varieties that are harvested while still young, when the skin is still tender. The latter are consumed with the seeds.

All of them originated from America and belong to the large family of cucurbits. They were introduced to Europe in the 16th century.

• There are about ten species of squashes, four of which are the most cultivated in our vegetable gardens. These are Cucurbita pepo,Cucurbita moschata or musky squashes,Cucurbita maxima, and finally Cucurbita argyrosperma.
• Cucurbita pepo: these are the most represented in vegetable gardens, they include certain pumpkins, zucchinis, pattypan squashes, etc. They are generally recognized by their rigid and serrated leaves and their angular peduncle with at least 5 ribs that do not widen at the point of attachment to the fruit.
• Cucurbita moschata or musky squashes: they have soft leaves. The peduncle is very ribbed and visibly widens at the point of attachment to the fruit. The leaves take the shape of a heart.
• Cucurbita maxima: these are mainly butternut squashes. Their peduncle is rounded and takes on a slightly spongy appearance. As the name of the species suggests, it mainly concerns varieties with large fruits. The leaves have 5 lobes.
• Cucurbita argyrosperma: very few represented in our gardens, they have trilobed leaves and a very thick, robust, and non-ribbed peduncle.

Generally trailing, they cling to any support with their tendrils. Female flowers can be distinguished from male flowers by their inferior ovary (below the flower), which resembles an embryo of a fruit. In many regions, male flowers are harvested just after pollination to be eaten stuffed or in fritters. There are many ways to consume squashes and zucchinis. Sautéed, fried, gratin, soups, or stuffed. Zucchinis are popular in Provençal ratatouille, Italian caponata, Maghrebi couscous, or many emblematic Mediterranean dishes.

Harvest: Squashes and zucchinis are fruits that need a lot of water to give their best. Squashes will be better if harvested when ripe. Zucchinis are harvested young and fresh, still immature. All of them must be handled with care and remain free of any cuts or bruises.

Storage: Zucchinis can be cut into pieces and frozen. Their delicate skin is not suitable for direct storage. Winter squashes with tough skin can be stored for several months and consumed throughout the winter. Unlike other fruits and vegetables, they need warmth for optimum storage. There is no need to store them in a dark place, so you might as well store them where their plump silhouette can be appreciated.

Gardener's tip: Place a slate plaque or tile under the fruit. It will no longer be in direct contact with the ground, thus avoiding rotting due to moisture. Likewise, they particularly like slightly moist soils. Remember to mulch around the plants, especially during the height of summer. Squashes and zucchinis are very susceptible to powdery mildew (a fungal disease that leaves a white fuzz on the surface of the leaves). Be careful not to water the leaves or flowers. Associate your squashes with alliums like chives, onions, or shallots, or with legumes like beans or peas. On the other hand, the marriage of squash and cucumber may harm both parties.

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