Sow Lunga di Napoli squash directly in garden after all danger of frost is past

The largest cows in the world do not live in Texas but in Italy. From the Chianina cows’ milk, Italians have made such frozen desserts as semifreddo ("half-frozen"), Stracciatella ("little shred" because of the shreds of chocolate in it), and gelato ("frozen"). And Neapolitan ice cream is named because it came from the Italian city of Naples. Naples food doesn't stop with frozen desserts, but also delicious pumpkin or squash pies, and the squash of choice is also named for Naples, the Lunga di Napoli (“long of Naples”).

Also called “Piena di Napoli” (Cucurbita maxima), these squash are oblong-shaped, more or less like a butternut squash, with a thin neck, and are often slightly curved. You can pick the young squash while still yellow to use as a summer squash, though most growers let them continue to grow until they reach 20 to 30 pounds. They may get up to 70 pounds and four feet long. They ripen from yellow to dark green and turn a soft tan color in storage.

The thick flesh is firm, dense and a shocking bright orange. Like most orange vegetables, it is very high in beta carotene. All of the seeds are in the bulbous end.

After cooking, the flesh becomes a velvety smooth, tender, yet dry puree with a slightly sweet, mild flavor that can be made into pies, soups (cianfotta or giambotta), stuffing for ravioli, pumpkin bread, and even squash jam (zucca da marmaletta). Cut into chunks and add it casseroles, risotto and fritters. It is even popular as a topping on pizza. Lunga di Napoli pairs well with cannelloni beans, mints, parsley, eggplant, and tomato; it can be seasoned with sage, garlic, shallot, cinnamon, nutmeg, olive oil, vinegar, and even hot chili pepper. The seeds are roasted and lightly salted for a nutritious snack.

Sow Lunga di Napoli squash directly in the garden after all danger of frost is past and the ground has warmed up. Choose a spot in full sun in rich soil. For an earlier harvest, start the plants indoors in individual peat pots. Just do not start them too early, or they will be stunted after transplanting.

These are huge plants, so give them plenty of room. Plant four seeds per hill or group with hills four feet apart in rows four feet apart. After they sprout, thin to three plants per hill. Seeds are available from specialty nurseries such as Seeds From Italy (www.growitalian.com).

When the vines first spread, you can weave them back into the row, but once the vines are a few feet long, do not move them. You can be harvesting summer squash in a few months, or let them mature in about 105-110 days from planting.

Like all squash, Lunga di Napoli is often attacked by slugs and snails that can be picked off by hand early in the morning.

Grow Lunga di Napoli squash and you will have small summer squash and huge winter squash that can store for months. And as they say in Naples, “Mangia bene, ridi spesso, ama molto. - Eat well, laugh often, love much.”