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*doo-do-do-do, doo-do-do-do
It’s here.
Zephyr squash.
And it’s no standard summer squash.
“It’s the complete package”.
Zephyr squash are in the family Cucurbitaceae, which they share with pumpkins, melons, cucumbers, gourds, and other winter and summer squash varieties. Two enemies of curcurbits that can make for an upsetting season are cucumber beetles and powdery mildew. Cucumber beetles can wreak havoc on a squash plant, feeding on the roots as larvae, and then on the foliage and fruit as an adult. They’re also vectors for other virulent diseases as they feed. No fun for the cucurbits, I’d say.
While cucumber beetles are specialists, powdery mildew is more of a generalist mildew, where different races can affect all kinds of plant families, and if left unchecked can kill the host.
The Zephyr squash cultivar is the result of having a bit of fun with cross-breeding; specifically crookneck, delicata, and acorn squash. Not only is the result scrumptious, but it’s naturally pest and disease resitant too. Not today powdery mildew! Keep movin’ cucumber beetle!
It’s tender and rich when small, and can be a versatile showstopper at larger sizes. Zephyr makes for more easy picking in the fields, and they’re attractive to boot. What more could you ask for out of a summer squash?
The star squash themselves!
Check out some recipes linked below for inspiration!
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This preparation is so incredibly simple, yet transforms the humble squash into the highest expression of itself. Simply luscious.
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A delightful recipe from Bon Appetit. Makes one 9 x 5” loaf.
Members of the Cucurbitaceae family are monoecious, meaning they have both female and male flowers on the same plant. Because the flowers are unisexual, pollination is of the utmost importance to produce viable fruit.
Bring in the bees.
Bees are the primary pollinators of cucurbits. Without them, the sweet dribble of melon juice would go unknown, as well as roasted butternut, crisp cucumbers, and that chocolate zucchini bread. Oh, can you IMAGINE?!
Pollination of cucurbits is a bit of a time-sensitive dance. Female flowers only open for one day, and are the most receptive to pollen between 9am and 4pm. The weather also plays a significant role. Too humid and the nectar is too heavy for the bees. Too windy? Too cloudy? Too rainy? The bees stay home.
Pollinators aren’t facing run-of-the-mill pressures alone either. Extreme weather and climate change have significantly disrupted foraging accessibility and patterns, meaning that bees, managed or wild, can’t collect enough nectar for their honey stores in the winter.
Less honey = higher mortality = less pollination = less production of native plants and crops alike.
Lucky for us, we share the land with and manage a number of colonies of honey bees, who, along with the native pollinators, help out on the farm and generously provide some extra honey every year.
One of our very own bees getting to know a milkweed flower.
Reciprocation is key to relationship. We do our part for winged creatures in the area by planting and ensuring the health of both naturalized and native flowering vegetation around the farm to support pollinators of all types, not just bees. There are quite a variety of insects that feast on nectar at some point of the year, so we do our best to give them a petal to rest on.
What’s more, we benefit from the panacea (it truly seems at times) of bioregional honey. A sweet treat and a buffer against seasonal allergies, our honey is prized and precious.
And like the crops, soil, and microbes, our bees are never managed with chemicals of any kind.
See you soon!
