Goldini II Zucchini Squash
Since we introduced this new Carol Deppe squash, we've heard from gardeners from Maine to California who say it's their new favorite. We're honored she chose us to premiere this long-awaited squash. C. pepo.
Here is Carol's full description: "Goldini Zucchini II is possibly the fastest germinating and growing and most productive summer squash on the planet, including hybrids. About 35 days from direct seeding in both Corvallis Oregon and Madison Wisconsin. Most plants are highly resistant to powdery mildew if kept picked. Triple-purpose summer squash bred for eating raw, cooked as summer squash, or dried to make a staple for soups and stews in winter. Shiny gold zucchinis with ridges, some with gold stems and tips, some with green stems and tips. The two variants taste the same, so for the moment I’ve left both in the variety. Goldini is prime for raw squash or summer squash at about 1 lb. (0.8 to 1.5 lbs.) At the 8 oz. weight typical of other Zucchinis at their prime, it has not yet developed full flavor. (So market gardeners need to teach customers that these bigger zucchinis are optimal.) The larger size when prime gives more food for the labor in picking and preparing and helps make use as a drying squash optimal. Delicious in salads or as a substitute for cucumbers. Great cooked as summer squash. Delicious sweetish flavor as a cooked puree or baby food and without adding sugar. Good for dry summer squash slices at up to about 3 lbs, so you can use “escapees” from the prime stage for use as a summer squash to make a delicious long-storing staple. Fruits are relatively uniform except for color of stems and tips. Leaves are a diversity of shapes and colors. This is intentional. The heterogeneity adds to the vigor. If you want squash plants that are uniform for traits that don’t matter, grow something else. I deliberately thin so as to maintain the diversity of leaf types and colors. Harvest with gloves. Plants are not open architecture, which requires plants short on leaves. Plants grow and yield better if they have leaves. Suggestion for market gardeners: Sell by variety name and price it higher than ordinary zucchini. People will pay more and buy it by variety name once they have tasted it." Replaces Goldini I, (Has more consistent gold color and better mildew resistance.) Bred by Carol Deppe. An OSSI pledged open-source variety. Photo by Eric George.
For Carol's instructions on how to use this as a dried winter staple, see out How-To section.