White squash – scallopini or small white ‘patty pan’ are an attractive looking squash that can be harvested either tiny or when fully matured. They taste like a simple zucchini or courgette when small and can be simply steamed or baked whole.
The mature vegetable tend (strongly inclined) towards the bland side of squash but because of their clear colour and texture can be added to dishes that have a high heat or spice content and can hold up to longer cooking times.
They can also be easily stuffed and baked etc as they hold together well and have a firm skin surface. They make an entertaining shaped self contained edible dish to cook and serve food in as well.
They can be cubed and used for textural fill in curries, soups and pastes. Tiny cubes are good as they tend to stay intact and soak up the flavours around them. Flat slices work well too as a thin wrap around a small tasty parcel of spicy food. The bright white or clear colour of the flesh is fairly persistent when cooked.
I grow two varieties – one that is like a saucer shape and fully rounded on both sides –
and one that has pronounced scalloped edges with a flatter top and deeper base. (the seed cavity sits towards the bottom of these squashes)
They will last for a very long time if matured in the sun after harvest and stored correctly – flat, dry and cool – and keep their high water content and crispy fresh texture right into the middle of winter.
Like most of the curcubit family they love lots of heat, direct sun, heaps of manure and heaps of water (preferably from the soil and root level rather than above) and tend to stay in large leaf bush mounds rather than wandering far on vines.
They grow very well if placed on ridges of soil so the main stems and the fruit are not sitting on damp ground where they can get too wet and discolour or rot etc when unattended.
If you get white or grey mould on the leaves from too much overhead watering use a milk spray to reduce damage on the new smaller growing leaves.
I have observed that like most other curcubits they tend to grow male flowers first off and in warmer weather and then produce lots of the female flowers in cooler periods and towards the end of the season.
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s3136307.htm
Bee pollination is a must for the best results on these types of squash and if you end up with dropping small fruit you may need to resort to hand pollination with a paint brush. This can be helped by planting pollinator attractors close by such as Borage.
http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/pages/publicationD.jsp?publicationId=845
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