The Squash and Cucumber Family
The squash or cucurbit family, the
Cucurbitaceae, has made three broad
contributions to human pleasure and nutrition.
These are the sweet, moist melons described
in the next chapter, the sweet, starchy,
nutritious “winter” squashes, which are
harvested fully mature and hard and keep for
months, and the not-so-sweet, moist cucumber
and “summer” squashes, which are harvested
while immature and tender, and keep for a few
weeks. (“Squash” comes from a Narragansett
Indian word meaning “a green thing eaten
raw.”) When cooked, winter squashes develop
a consistency and flavor something like those
of a sweet potato, while the summer squashes
and immature Asian gourds develop a mild
but distinctive aroma and a translucent, slick,
almost gelatinous texture. Fruits of Cucurbita
maxima, the Hubbard and other winter
squashes, can reach 300 lb/135 kg, and are the