Photo by Rick Gush

Italian summertime squelch , or trombette , can be grown in many unlike positions .

I recognize I ’m a broken phonograph record , but I just ca n’t assist proceed to trumpet the praises of Italian summertime squash “ trumpets , ” ortrombette , as they are called here in Italy . These long and underweight squashes are just as tasty and fertile as any other summer squash ever was .

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Italian summer squash racquets is traditionally grown on a structure that allows the evolve squashes to cling . This not only keeps them cleaner than when they are grow on the earth , but it also allow them grow unbent . The only reason I can think of why straight fruit might be better is that the straight sections are a bit easier to slit up .

The real reason I like this harvest is that it is a sprawl - vine character that can go up , down or horizontally . This flexibility really boom my grow expanse , which is circumscribed . By being able to drape this vine down the side of a wall , have it raise up on araised trellisor hover out in space on irregular horizontal flank , I can grow the craw using only little slivers of insipid land . I do n’t need the 50 square feet per plant that this size of it of vine wants on flavorless land .

I know it sounds mirthful , but I also like it because it ’s a really pretty crop . The bighearted , orangesquashblossoms are attractively presented on a horizontal vine , with the farseeing , pale - green squashes hang down , ending with enormous Orange River blossoms .

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The manly blooms also hang up , but they stay high . When I plant several - dozen vines together in such a way that they all sprawl all over each other , the mass of hanging blooming is fairly spectacular . I also score skillful neighbor points every once in a while by gifting base of the flowers to my neighbour who consider them a delicacy and have several unlike elbow room in which the blossom are cooked .

Like most summer squash , the smaller yield are prefer , but it is my opinion that the reasonably large squash , up to 3 metrical unit prospicient and as thick as a baseball game bat , can still be delectable . Once the fruit get grownup than that , and they do as I ’ve find out trombette that were close to six feet retentive , then they intersect over into the class of a inadequate - keeping winter squash racquets . Most of the growers in my vicinity leave of absence four or five extra braggart squash racquets on their summer - squash dapple and permit the skins inure and reverse a wan brown , harvesting the liberal squashes after the first set of frosts , then keeping them for a month or so , when they can be cooked like other wintertime squash .

Almost all of the Italian seed companies that trade to gardeners in the United States now carrytrombetteseeds . They may be calledtromba d’albengaor zucchina trombetta .

I theorize that this mean that Americans are now take in on to this former entry from Italy . I do what I can personally to publicise this excellent Italian squash , and I tell all the tourists I see over here that a bundle oftrombetteseeds is one of the respectable souvenirs one could bring home from Italy !

Read more of Rick ’s Favorite Crops »