Cute little squash, which belong to the cucurbits family…

Cucurbitaceae (/ k juː ˌ k ɜːr b ɪ ˈ t eɪ s i i /) the same family as: pumpkin, gourd, watermelon, cucumber and cantaloupe.

Earliest records of people enjoying the flavour of these vegetables comes from Mexico where repositories of squash seeds dating back over 9,000 years old have been found.

The name cucurbits always makes me laugh, bit I adore these little guys. They look like they’ve been doing something naughty and stopped just as I walked in the room. Gourds are also part of the family and all cucurbits (snigger) have bright yellow flowers – except for the white-flowered bottle gourd. Treat them them as you would pumpkins or squash when cooking. These organic beauties were from my favourite local farm @sandylanefarm. The arrival of autumn will see me cooking more of these lovelies.