Remember my mystery maxima squash seeds?

[Silverleaf]

I think I posted about this on A4A last year, but I found an bag of squash seeds that I'd clearly saved myself years ago but failed to label.

And I grew a couple of plants just to see what happened.

They went in late and it wasn't a very good year for squash here but I did get one fruit. (Just cut it open, but alas, all the seeds were flat.) It's the blue/green one in the first picture. It's got lighter and faded to a creamy green. The flesh is orange. Haven't tasted it yet but I will tomorrow.

Now I think I might have identified the original variety I planted - I found an empty packet of Invincible seeds and it does look very much like it, so I suspect it's either that or an Invincible hybrid.

If it tastes good I'll grow it again this year and see if I can get viable seed. I like the colour so it might be good to add it to my maxima landrace - it's probably already contributed pollen anyway!

[Silverleaf]

Couldn't resist microwaving a slice so I could taste. It's not going to set the world on fire but it's fine, I'll be happy to eat the rest of it. Not flavoursome enough for my landrace, but I don't mind if it's contributed pollen.

[jayb]

Lovely coloured squash and a nice amount of flesh to seeds too. I had several fruits with no viable seed last year too, frustrating when it's one you would have liked to keep. I've not grown Invincible, but agree your blue green looks very similar, good sleuthing

Are those Thelma Sanders, they look big?

[Galina]

There is a whiter larger type and a smaller more beige looking one in your photo. I grew them a few years ago and from memory they turned out like the smaller, beige type.

Love photos of squash collections. Such beautiful bounty

[Silverleaf]

Yes, Thelma Sanders was the star squash for me last year, in a year when the rest of the plants didn't do so well. We ate loads of them as summer squash (yum) and left the earlier ones to mature. I like them better as a summer, to be honest, but I like them mature as well.

The Invincible in the picture weighed 1.2kg, so that gives you an idea of the size of the others.

The lemon-shaped one is supposed to be Georgia Candy Roaster but it's the wrong shape! Something's gone wrong there!

[jayb]

Couldn't resist microwaving a slice so I could taste. It's not going to set the world on fire but it's fine, I'll be happy to eat the rest of it. Not flavoursome enough for my landrace, but I don't mind if it's contributed pollen.

Shame the taste isn't quite there with this one. What have you planned for your maxima mix?

[Galina]

Another example where blue turns into beige/pink storage colour. I had never heard of Invincible before. But now I see that several seed companies have this in the UK. Nice size too. Pity the flavour wasn't there. Good to have found the old seed packet too. Looking at online seed packets, they do look very similar, especially in the 'blue' freshly harvested picture. How do they compare with Uchiki Kuri flavour wise?

[Silverleaf]

Shame the taste isn't quite there with this one. What have you planned for your maxima mix?

I have a handful of interesting maximas, but I think I'll restrict myself to perhaps three varieties for now and see what happens. If I decide to use my friends' land I'll grow as many varieties as I can.

So the foundation of the mini-landrace is going to be Flat White Boer because I like the colour, and Uchiki Kuri and Amber Cup which were promiscuously pollinated last year (so it's likely that there's some Georgia Candy Roaster and Invincible in there too).

Invincible just tasted a bit bland. Not very exciting. I liked that it wasn't super-sweet and the texture is good, and it tasted like a squash, but I didn't eat it and then get excited about the thought of growing it again. I haven't got the space for veggies that are just "nice".

[jayb]

I love the shape and colour of Flat White Boer too, just really touchy feely lovely! I can't fault the taste on either Uchiki Kuri and Amber Cup, both very scrummy in my book.They should make for an interesting combination of shape and size, with good flavour too (as long as they don't follow Invincible too strongly)

Are you going to let them mingle as the bees please or dib and dab pollen?

[Silverleaf]

A bit of random hand pollination sounds like a good idea!