Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ut-sally.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!ut-sally!riddle From: riddle@ut-sally.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle) Newsgroups: net.garden,net.cooks Subject: Vegetable of the week: tatume squash Message-ID: <2326@ut-sally.UUCP> Date: Thu, 21-Jun-84 15:16:33 EDT Article-I.D.: ut-sally.2326 Posted: Thu Jun 21 15:16:33 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 22-Jun-84 11:12:54 EDT Organization: U. of Tx. at Houston-in-the-Hills Lines: 26 Anyone out there have any experience with tatume squash? My gardening buddy and I put some in this year, and we are pleased, to say the least. You may have seen tatume under the name "Mexican squash" in your supermarket from time to time; it is a small squash that looks much like an oval zucchini. We generally use tatume as a substitute for either zucchini or yellow squash, but it has a delicate flavor that is hard to describe but which we prefer to both of its rivals. Its skin avoids the hard rind-like character of too-mature yellow squash, while its center remains firm even when cooked. The plants bear abundantly, producing long vines which (unfortunately) must be prevented from taking over the whole garden. When a combination of squash bugs and drought made our yellow squash begin to give up the ghost a couple of weeks back, the tatume kept on thriving (although it may succumb yet). The only problem we have had is a minor one: since the fruits match the dark green of the plants' leaves, we have had a tendency to miss them and leave them on the vine until they are huge, overripe and a bit seedy. We're thinking that the solution may be to fix a big batch of tatume bread! All in all, tatume seems like such a winner that we are both rather surprised that it is relatively unknown both to gardeners and to cooks. --- Prentiss Riddle ("Aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada.") --- {ihnp4,harvard,seismo,gatech,ctvax}!ut-sally!riddle