Spaghetti squash

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The spaghetti squash (Cucurbita pepo) (also called vegetable spaghetti, noodle squash, spaghetti marrow (in the UK), squaghetti , gold string melon (金糸瓜 (kinshi uri) in Japanese) or fish fin melon (魚翅瓜/鱼翅瓜 (yú chì guā)) in Chinese) is an oblong seed-bearing variety of winter squash. The fruit can range either from ivory to yellow or orange in color or green with white streaks. Its center contains many large squash seeds. Its flesh is bright yellow, and orange or white for the latter variety. When raw, the flesh is solid and similar to other raw squash; when cooked, the flesh falls away from the fruit in ribbons or strands like spaghetti or shark's fin (when cooked in a soup form). Spaghetti squash can be baked, boiled or steamed, and served with sauce as pasta, or used as a vegetable base for macaroni and cheese. Spaghetti squash contains many nutrients including folic acid, potassium, vitamin A, and beta carotene. It is also a food low in calories, averaging 75 calories in 8 cooked ounces.

[edit] Cultivation

Spaghetti squash are relatively easy to grow, thriving in gardens or in containers. ^[1]

The plants are monoecious, with male and female flowers on the same plant. ^[2] Male flowers have long, thin stems that extend upwards from the vine. Female flowers are shorter, with a small round growth underneath the petals. This round growth turns into the squash if the flower is successfully pollinated.

Spaghetti squash plants may cross-pollinate with Zucchini plants.