Yellow crookneck squash

Cucurbita pepo · Squash

40 pairings

Yellow crookneck is a warm-yellow summer squash — a cultivar group of Cucurbita pepo — named for its slender, hooked or curved neck that swells into a bulbous blossom end. Its skin is usually bumpy or warted and its flavour is mild, sweet and lightly buttery; picked young, it is eaten skin, flesh and soft seeds together and is a classic vegetable of the American South.

Picking a good onedrag

Glossy, thumbnail still bitesDull, rind set, going soft

Shop firmGlossy and no longer than a hand. Sliced and fried in cornmeal, sauteed, grilled or roasted.Everyday best

SkinBright but matte, small pale scuffs

Thumbnail on the neckNail dents it under firm pressure

Stem scarScar dry and clean, not sunken

Smell at the scarAlmost nothing at all

What to look for, from glossy, thumbnail still bites to dull, rind set, going soft.

What one gives you

99%

Usable yield

204 g · ends off

206 g

Typical weight

one specimen

Keeping ittap a band

Below 5 C the skin pits and water-soaks, and the cold hides it - the damage shows once it is back on the counter, and then it rots fast.

Humidity

95%

It dulls and wrinkles on only a few percent of its weight lost. Unwashed in a loose bag; the slim neck dries first.

Airflow

Vented, not sealed

Sealed it sweats and soft-rots, so bag it loosely. The thin young skin scuffs easily, and every scuff is a way in for rot.

Only mildly bothered by neighbours

Low to moderately sensitive, and it gives off little itself. The documented harm - yellowing - hits green squash, not a yellow one; still keep it clear of apples and bananas.

Preparing