Squash blossoms

MarthaRN · May 30, 2007

Newbie question:
How soon after the squash blossoms open are the squash ready to pick?
Thanks

shelleybean · May 30, 2007

Hi, Martha. I hope I understand your question correctly. This is how each fruit on a squash plant grows. The plant produces male flowers on long stems. It also produces female flowers and those are the ones with the little squash attached at the back of the flower. Either a bee or you need to get the pollen from the male flower to the female flower for pollination to occur. At that point, the squash begins to grow and you can cut it from the plant whenever you want. You can use little baby squash with the female flower still attached or you can let it grow to up to around six inches long or up to about four inches across for patty pans. If you want to pollinate yourself, you can use a Q Tip and collect some pollen from the inside of the male flower and transfer it to the inside of the female flower--squash sex, basically. There are a few varieties of squash that are still good at around ten inches, but for the most part, smaller is better when it comes to squash, before the seeds get big and the skin gets tough. I hope that's what you were asking. If you want to use the blossoms and batter and fry them, I'd wait until I was pretty sure the squash had been pollinated.

Worth1 · May 30, 2007

About one week. extrastuffsothemessagewillgothrough

NCTIM · May 30, 2007

Squash grow fast. That said what's too small today will quickly become too big. Check your squash everyday. I sometimes will see squash in the morning that will be perfect that evening.

Whatever the size you decide you like, remember that it will nearly double in size pretty quick.

Tim

shelleybean · May 31, 2007

It could be much faster than a week. I've had heavy rains at night and squash has literally doubled in size overnight. In that long winded blurb up there, what I was saying was just seeing a blossom doesn't mean they'll grow. They need to be pollinated to grow to larger sizes. If they're not pollinated, they just shrivel up. Sorry about the birds and the bees talk on squash if that's not what you need.

MarthaRN · May 31, 2007

Thank you all for your replys. All of them were very helpful. Looks like we might be having home grown yellow squash this weekend!

Granny · May 31, 2007

You can also pick the extra male blossoms. They are traditionally battered and fried or stuffed in the Southwest - and yummy. Just make sure you get the male blossoms rather than the female squash bearers.

angelique · June 3, 2007

Another vote for fried MALE squash blossoms. I love to stuff them with a mixture of cream cheese, grated cheese, diced chiles (jalapenos) and garlic and salt and pepper. Yummy.

Worth1 · June 4, 2007

You know guys and gals, 'I stay out of the recipe section so I wont be tempted to eat some of this stuff.
((((Fried squash blossoms with cream cheese and garlic.))))

Your Killing me.

May 30, 2007	#1
MarthaRN Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 3	Squash blossoms Newbie question: How soon after the squash blossoms open are the squash ready to pick? Thanks

May 30, 2007	#2
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	Hi, Martha. I hope I understand your question correctly. This is how each fruit on a squash plant grows. The plant produces male flowers on long stems. It also produces female flowers and those are the ones with the little squash attached at the back of the flower. Either a bee or you need to get the pollen from the male flower to the female flower for pollination to occur. At that point, the squash begins to grow and you can cut it from the plant whenever you want. You can use little baby squash with the female flower still attached or you can let it grow to up to around six inches long or up to about four inches across for patty pans. If you want to pollinate yourself, you can use a Q Tip and collect some pollen from the inside of the male flower and transfer it to the inside of the female flower--squash sex, basically. There are a few varieties of squash that are still good at around ten inches, but for the most part, smaller is better when it comes to squash, before the seeds get big and the skin gets tough. I hope that's what you were asking. If you want to use the blossoms and batter and fry them, I'd wait until I was pretty sure the squash had been pollinated. __________________ Michele

May 30, 2007	#4
NCTIM Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: zone 8 NC Posts: 286	Squash grow fast. That said what's too small today will quickly become too big. Check your squash everyday. I sometimes will see squash in the morning that will be perfect that evening. Whatever the size you decide you like, remember that it will nearly double in size pretty quick. Tim __________________ "You can observe a lot by just watching." - Yogi Berra

May 31, 2007	#5
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	It could be much faster than a week. I've had heavy rains at night and squash has literally doubled in size overnight. In that long winded blurb up there, what I was saying was just seeing a blossom doesn't mean they'll grow. They need to be pollinated to grow to larger sizes. If they're not pollinated, they just shrivel up. Sorry about the birds and the bees talk on squash if that's not what you need. __________________ Michele

May 30, 2007	#3
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	About one week. extrastuffsothemessagewillgothrough

May 31, 2007	#7
Granny Tomatovillian™ Honoree Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 507	You can also pick the extra male blossoms. They are traditionally battered and fried or stuffed in the Southwest - and yummy. Just make sure you get the male blossoms rather than the female squash bearers.

June 3, 2007	#8
angelique Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Rocklin, California Posts: 501	Another vote for fried MALE squash blossoms. I love to stuff them with a mixture of cream cheese, grated cheese, diced chiles (jalapenos) and garlic and salt and pepper. Yummy.

June 4, 2007	#9
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	You know guys and gals, 'I stay out of the recipe section so I wont be tempted to eat some of this stuff. ((((Fried squash blossoms with cream cheese and garlic.)))) Your Killing me.