My friend Benny De Rosa, from De Rosa Vineyards and B&B on Ogden Road in West Kelowna, showed me his Sicilian serpentine squash the other day, and I can honestly say I have never seen anything like it.
It’s a bit like zucchini in that it is long and thin, but that’s where the comparison ends.
Benny has it growing on a trellis as if it were a cucumber vine so not only is it a great culinary item it is quite ornamental.
Its leaves are about the size of a typical cucumber leaf and its flowers are pure white instead of the yellow that normally cucurbits produce; it is this trait that tells us it is actually a gourd.
The fruit itself is long, averaging two to three feet, narrow and twisted like a snake.
Another name for this interesting vegetable is Cucuzzi, and there are several interesting recipes for it to be found on the Internet.
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We have not had a significant drop of rain since July and it is beginning to show. Hopefully, we will have enough snowfall to replenish things for next year.
I was doing a walkabout recently and noticed some established trees showing signs of water stress. The only irrigation available to them was a couple of drip tubes placed at the base of the trunk.
There is a common misconception that water is to be applied there which couldn’t be more wrong. The tree needs water over a general area from about a couple of feet from the trunk to at least the drip line; the distance to where the branches of the tree extend.
We checked for moisture at the base of the trunk and it was wet, however, when we dug a few feet away the ground was bone dry.
The water used on this tree was virtually wasted as it just drained down below the tree and never reached the root platter. If the same amount of water had been distributed properly the tree would not have been in stress.
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Don’t forget to take advantage of the fabulous garden waste recycling bins provided by the municipalities.
This is fall cleanup time and there are only a few more pickups before the season ends and the snow flies.
Leaves, grass clippings small prunings and the tops from all your herbaceous perennial plants can be put into the bin, however soil, turf, and large prunings should not.
Also keep dog droppings, meat scraps, rocks, construction lumber and metals out of the bin. Common sense prevails.
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I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to the Goode family who recently lost their wonderful matriarch Shirley Goode tragically in an auto accident.
I was honoured to be able to attend the service and was touched by the many family members who gave testimony as to the wonderful person Shirley was.
In particular, when her dear granddaughter Amy described the relationship she and her grandmother shared, there was not a dry eye in the congregation.
Tune in to The Don Burnett Garden Show on AM 1150 News Talk Sports Saturdays from 8 to 10 a.m.
