PlantFiles: Summer Squash, Patty Pan Squash, Scallop Squash
Cucurbita pepo 'White Bush Scallop'

We have had good luck with this plant so far. Have several hills in a raised hill within a lasagna bed. a gets about 6 hours of sun then filtered shade. Dannlin, thehy are better if picked about three to four inches across, get tough if they get much bigger

I have a yellow neck squash plant that has both yellow neck squash and the scallop squash growing on it. I had never seen the scallop squash before. Has anyone ever had this happen? Have not tried the scallop squash as yet. How big should I let one get? They are currently about 6" across.

All I did was stick a few seeds in the ground around the 4th of July, and I have some nice squash plants now. (I have the "Early White Bush Scallop" version.) I harvested the first squash a few days ago. Sliced it up, slathered it in melted butter, a little salt and pepper, and roasted it on the BBQ grill - it was delicious! The flavor was mild, somewhat sweet, maybe a little nutty. I can't wait for more to mature!

July 2008 - I planted these much earlier this year, in mid-May. The plants are doing well. The University of Illinois extension website recommends picking these squash when they are still immature, only 3-4 inches across. Last year I picked mine when they were much bigger, at least 6 inches across, but they still tasted good. U of I didn't offer a reason for picking when immature, other than the overmature fruits tend to be hard. The "big" fruits I picked last year were tender and delicious.

December 2008 - Okay, the extension people were right. :) The smaller fruits are much tastier than the bigger ones. The ones I grew last year were in much richer soil than the ones I grew this year. The bigger the fruit, the less sweet it is and the more it seemed to acquire a kind of soap-like taste. Of course, the skin gets tougher as well, as it gets bigger. There's no need to remove the skin when the fruits are smaller, in order to cook them.

Cooking is very simple - slice into 1/2 in slices, remove the seeds and stem, slather in melted butter, salt and pepper to taste, and cook in a skillet on medium heat until somewhat browned and lovely. They can get mushy, so be sure to test the texture as you cook so it suits you. You can use thinner slices, which will cook faster, but then you'll probably have to cook more batches (because you'll have that many more slices).

The taste is milder than the yellow straight-neck or crook-neck squash. The habit is spreading, so leave lots of room. I didn't have much luck training C. pepo to grow vertically. Required very little care and striped cucumber beetles left mine alone.

This was the most tender, flavorful summer squash I've ever had. I'm not a fan of zucchini, but I could eat this variety every day. It's tender even when large. Try slicing it, straight off the vine, and brushing it with garlic olive oil and broil it in the oven. Turn over when the top is brown. (keep an eye on it -- doesn't take long to burn) Luscious!! It grew prolifically and I didn't have any mildew problems.

If you like yellow summer squash, this is a great change of pace with the "patty-pan" squash. It has a flavor all of it's own, and when cooked with garlic butter, it really brings out the delicate taste of this variety of squash. Steamed with garlic butter added after cooking makes a wonderful side dish for any family. Easy to grow and prolific producer!

This is one of the oldest summer squashes dating back into the 19th century. Easy to grow and relatively prolific, it was a staple in my grandparents time. Typical scallop shaped but pure white. Tender but not as tasty as the yellow crookneck or straightneck.