Mystery squash

Hi,

I'm hoping someone here can help me. I have a mystery squash growing near the compost. However, it doesn't look like anything we've ever eaten. There aren't any other squash in my garden.

They are large (over 10lbs), yellow, have the funny-looking bud on the bottom like a buttercup squash, and are egg-shaped. The seeds look like buttercup squash seeds. The flesh is yellow. I have some pictures here:
http://s220.photobucket.com/albums/dd71/devonchan/

Thanks!!
Devon

 

It's not one of those spagetti melons. Not sure what they are called but my Vietnamese friend gave me one and said to cook it and all the flesh came away in strings like spagetti. Can't remember just how it was cooked but tasted good.

liz

 

Have a look at these squash photo galleries: Squash @ Kemper Center for Home Gardening and Squash via the Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County

 

Thanks Liz & Daniel!
I did cook one, and the flesh wasn't stringy like a spaghetti squash. It was more like an acorn in texture, but didn't really taste like much. I'm wondering if it might be a cross or something, because it doesn't look anything like any of the pictures. They just look like big yellow balloons! I think I'll just let the kids make jack-o-lanterns with them :-).

Thanks again!
Devon

 

I have had many strange squash from compost piles. Squash are notorious for cross pollinating and producing oddball hybrids. In commercial squash seed production great care is taken to prevent cross pollination between species. This usually done by isolating each specie of blooming plants is a green house or similar enclosures to prevent cross pollination with other species.

 

I had one of those once pop up out of seeds of an acorn squash that was grown next to a hubbard. I christened it the "HubCorn" squash, and went on merrily growing it, although I must say I prefer true hubbards.

 

Thanks twcoffey & lorax!

These things just keep getting bigger & bigger. I have no desire to eat them -- they taste like water -- so I'm just going to see how big they get. There are only 2 left, but I'm sure they're both over 15 lbs.