M. Stark of Seattle, WA writes in:

“I bought plants named winter squash at Seattle Tilth sale. It now is bearing a yellow fruit that twists and looks like a snake. One fruit is 2 feet long and twisted like a snake. What kind of squash is this? When do I harvest this squash? Is it eaten like a giant twisted zucchini or do I wait until it is ripe in fall like a winter squash? “

There are so many squash and gourds out there, that I can’t be entirely sure what you bought. It does sound like you may have a Cucuzzi Squash gourd on your hands. Or,it could be a Tromboncino Zucchini squash.  Both are edible. The former is a winter squash/gourd that may prove a bit bland (I haven’t grown it, so I’m not entirely sure here). The other is a summer squash.

All of that being said, it could be something else entirely. You might try contacting Seattle Tilth to see if they can tell you which winter squash they grew and help you correctly ID the plants. I know that I’ve purchased plant starts in the past and despite keeping the tags so I would remember what I purchased, I’ve ended up with something entirely different from the label.

A good example is the 6-pack of purple brussel sprout starts I bought earlier this year. One plant turned into a brussel sprout-like stalk and immediately went into flower. The rest turned out to be purple cabbage with one plant barely doing anything, one forming long, tall heads and the others forming tight, round heads. Fortunately for me, I like cabbage better than brussel sprouts!

Thanks for writing in & good luck!