General InformationÂ
Yellow crookneck squash is named for its unique crooked soda bottle shape and its cornflower yellow coloring. The skin of baby Yellow crookneck squash is delicate and originally was completely smooth but as a result of unintentional crossbreeding with neighboring varieties can today also be textured with faint ridges and warts. Its flesh is pale yellow, with layers of small, soft edible seeds. Its texture is slightly denser than that of straight necked yellow squash. It is ideally picked at an average length of four to six inches, at which its flavoring is mellow and nutty with just a zest of pepper. Baby Yellow crookneck squash can be left on the vine to mature to a fully grown yellow crookneck squash. They can also be left on the vine past full maturity to harden and become an ornamental gourd or to harvest the squash seeds for future planting.
History
Summer crookneck types are believed to be one of the oldest varieties of summer squash. In Jefferson’s Garden Book a correspondence dating back to 1807 between Thomas Jefferson and Philadelphia Quaker Timothy Matlack states that baby Yellow crookneck squash is native to New Jersey and was grown there by the Cooper family of Camden who had cultivated it for generations. Baby Yellow crookneck squash is considered easy to grow, thriving in full sun, warm weather and fertile, well-drained soil. Squashes vary from vine to bush types, baby Yellow crookneck is an open bush type which allows for easier harvests of this prolific fruiter.
