Tromba D'Albegna Squash

OK, let's get the sniggers out in the open! OOH Matron that's a nice big one! Last year I was fortunate to swap some seeds with Mas Du Diable, and she very kindly sent me some of these Tromba D'albegna squash seeds, also sometimes known as tromboncino squash.

These are an Italian variety that should grow up to 3ft long. The seeds are in a bulbous shaped end and the flesh is all in the long neck which can twist and turn like a trombone. Apparently you can make them bend by placing an object in their way. I am experimenting with this theory and placing some bricks around them. These can be eaten young like this as a courgette, or left to mature into a sweet butternut squash.

Now I have plenty of courgettes growing at the moment so I will leave these to get bigger and mature till the Autumn. These are amazingly prolific in my garden. There is a female flower bearing fruit at almost every leaf joint! I might even have to take some of the small ones off to eat as courgettes so as not to stress the plant and to let the rest grow big and strong. The hot weather we have been having in London seems to suit them!

You can just about see the bulbous end on the left side where the seeds are forming. This has been an exciting experiment so far, I've not grown this variety before and I look forward to trying them.

I took this photo above in the market in Funchal, Madeira last year. It looks as if these have been harvested early when in courgette mode as they are still green.

This is hopefully what I will end up with. Judith from Everything in the Garden's Rosie sent me this photo a couple of years back of her Tromboncino squash as an entry into Matron's Squashblog in October 2007. I have been fascinated with them ever since!