Cucurbita pepo
'Yellow crookneck'
Crookneck squash along with other types of squash
SpeciesCucurbita pepo
CultivarYellow crookneck
OriginEastern North America
Crookneck squash
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy19 kcal (79 kJ)
3.9 g
Dietary fiber1.0 g
0.3 g
1.0 g
VitaminsQuantity
%DV
Riboflavin (B2)
3%
0.04 mg
Vitamin C
23%
19 mg
MineralsQuantity
%DV
Potassium
5%
222 mg
Other constituentsQuantity
Water94 g
Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA FoodData Central

Crookneck squash, also known as yellow squash, is a cultivar of Cucurbita pepo,[1] the species that also includes some pumpkins and most other summer squashes. The plants are bushy[1] and do not spread like the plants of winter squash and pumpkin.[2] Most often used as a summer squash, it is characterized by its yellow skin (which may be smooth or bumpy)[2] and sweet yellow flesh, as well as its distinctive curved stem-end or "crooked neck".[3] It should not be confused with crookneck cultivars of Cucurbita moschata, such as the winter squash 'Golden Cushaw',[4] or the vining summer squash 'Tromboncino'.[1] Its name distinguishes it from another similar-looking variety of C. pepo, the straightneck squash, which is also usually yellow.[5][6][7] There is one similar non-edible C. pepo variety: C. pepo var. ovifera.[8]

Yellow crookneck squash are generally harvested immature, when they are less than two inches in diameter,[2][3] since the skin toughens and the quality degrades as the squash reaches full maturity.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Zucchetta". Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center: Vegetable Research and Extension. Washington State University. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "Summer Squash". Watch Your Garden Grow. University of Illinois Extension. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Summer Squash" (PDF). University of the District of Columbia Cooperative Extension Service. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  4. Phillips, R.; Rix, M. (1993). Vegetables. New York: Random House.
  5. Saade, R. Lira; Hernández, S. Montes. "Cucurbits". Purdue Horticulture. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  6. "Cucurbita pepo". Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  7. Heistinger, Andrea (2013). The Manual of Seed Saving: Harvesting, Storing, and Sowing Techniques for Vegetables, Herbs, and Fruits. Portland, OR: Timber Press. p. 278. ISBN 978-1-60469-382-9.
  8. Decker, Deena S.; Wilson, Hugh D. (1987). "Allozyme Variation in the Cucurbita pepo Complex: C. pepo var. ovifera vs. C. texana". Systematic Botany. American Society of Plant Taxonomists. 12 (2): 263–273. doi:10.2307/2419320. JSTOR 2419320.
  9. "Summer and Winter Squash". Utah State University Cooperative Extension. Archived from the original on 10 June 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
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