Squash Musquée d'hiver de Provence - Cucurbita moschata

The Winter Musquee de Provence Squash or Musquee Squash is a highly vigorous and excellent keeping variety. The plant produces beautiful plump fruits with wide ribs that can be easily stored for over a year under good conditions. The dark green skin evolves to a terracotta orange color when ripe. It protects a bright orange flesh, quite firm, slightly sweet, with a musky flavor and excellent taste. Plant your seedlings from April to June in open ground, after the last frost, for a harvest in September and October.

The musquee squash is an ancient variety originating from the South of France. Its fruits are characterized by their gigantism, nothing less: 50 kg is an almost ordinary weight, on plants that can run up to 6 m (20ft). The squash plants are hungry and thirsty. Given such measurements, it is advisable to layer the stems by covering them with soil. This will generate new roots in that area, which will draw the nutrients the fruits need to be as beautiful and tasty as possible. This herbaceous annual plant has long, vigorous, and even climbing stems with strong tendrils. Each plant has separate male and female flowers, making it monoecious. The female flowers will produce the fruits once fertilized by the pollen from the male flowers.

Squashes, like pumpkins, belong to the Cucurbitaceae family. The term "courge" comes from the Latin word "Cucurbita," which also gave us the word "gourd." Neither pumpkin nor butternut squash, the Winter Musquee de Provence Squash or Musquee Squash is the most famous representative of the Cucurbita moschata species, while most other squashes belong to the Cucurbita pepo species, and pumpkins, hubbards, and other kabochas belong to the Cucurbita maxima species.

All species of the Cucurbita genus come in many shapes and colors, from large ribbed orange or red fruits to oblong or pear-shaped forms. The Cucurbita moschata species is distinguished by its soft leaves and very short calyx. Squashes are rich in minerals and trace elements, as well as being low in calories, but they are also a source of phosphorus, calcium, and potassium. They can be prepared as purees, gratins, soups, savory or sweet pies, and even jams.

Harvest and Storage

The winter musquee squash is harvested in autumn, without risking the first frosts. Keep the stem as large as possible and store them in a temperate room (10 to 15°C (50 to 59°F)). You can then store them for a few months to a year, making sure they do not touch each other.

Gardening Tips

• You can bury the stems at the nodes to encourage rooting.
• Some gardeners do not hesitate to "sow" their squash seeds directly in well-decomposed compost or manure piles: guaranteed success!
• To save space and protect your fruits from rot, you can grow squash on supports such as a trellis or sturdy frames.
• During fruit ripening, you can place a tile or brick between the ground and the fruit to isolate it and limit premature rotting. A thick mulch will also do the trick.