All of this was started with the chance encounter of a zucchini (from saved seed blending about 5 varieties) and a typical spaghetti squash.

The 2 original seedlings from this cross produced tasty fruits but few seeds. Those seeds they did manage to produce were nearly flat with no indication they'd have a chance of germinating. Never underestimate ugly seeds. Over the years the resulting generations have not only become extremely fertile but have begun to show traits from the spaghetti squash ancestor.

We've selected for aggressiveness, color, and taste and have been blessed with a dependable vegetable for our short season area. The immature fruits resemble zucchinni in shape with the exterior color being a bright yellow with dark green at both ends. The interior is pale, icy green with a small seed cavivity. The taste of these is sweet and has been likened by some neighbors as similar to avacado while the texture is smooth and firm. They have none of the bitter aftertaste that zucchinni can have and don't go soggy in stir fry.

The plants seem to have adapted to our wild weather nicely and can take a light frost in the Spring and at least a couple of heavy frosts in the Fall. A few plants will put down extra roots from their stems. They will also climb anything their 10-20' vines come in contact with. Having to climb an apple tree to pick the fruits has taught us to keep a close eye on where they're heading.

A couple of years ago we tried baking one of the mature fruits after removing the seeds just to see what they'd taste like and were rewarded with something not unlike spaghetti squash. The interior color of these mature fruits is a pale yellow and very mild, usually separating nicely into short filaments.

While I don't consider the 'zucchetti' to be a true hybrid (the curcurbita group is notorious for crossing to each other), with a new line involving the zucchetti pod parent crossed with a winter squash (most of the F2 fruits look like large black pumpkins) and a willingness to cross to a cucumber this past season (this one could be thought of as hybrid), they've given us a window onto what other hybrids might do given enough time and encouragement.

I'll post photos of the resulting veggies when can I remember to drag the camera into the garden this year.