Plant of the Week: Patty Pan Squash

Common Name: Patty Pan Squash, Scallopini (Click for picture)
Latin Name: Cucurbita pepo
Origin: Good question.

Patty Pan squash is just one type of summer squash, along with zucchini, straightneck, and crookneck squashes. It is distinctive in that it has round, saucer-like fruit, often with scalloped edges. It can be yellow, pale yellow, white, pale green, dark green, and yellow/green bicolor.

The plant is grown like any other summer squash...planted by seed after the soil and temperatures are warm in the spring. The plants are not trailing, for the most part. They instead tend to be quite bushy and compact, especially if you are used to growing pumpkins that vine all over creation.

Patty Pan squash are best used when they are still quite small - only 3" in diameter. They can be cooked like any other summer squash. The amount of chopping is entirely dependent on the size at harvest. They can also be good baked whole and stuffed with other tasty things.