Sunburst Pattypan Squash
Sunburst is a perfect name for this golden yellow colored pattypan squash variety.
Sunburst squash is a hybrid variety that’s extremely easy to grow and can be sown directly into the garden after the soil has thoroughly warmed in late spring.
Unusual and Beautiful Squash for the Home Garden
Pattypan squash can be cultivated just as you would grow the common zucchini varieties. The most unique feature of the pattypans is their shape, and in the case of Sunburst, its rich golden color.
Pattypans have an odd but attractive shape that’s hard to describe. The fruits have a half moon shape with a wavy outer margin on the flat side.
Sunburst squash really stands out in the garden due to its bright yellow color. Another great feature is that this squash variety can be allowed to grow very large without becoming tough on the outside or mealy inside.
Harvesting and Using Sunburst Pattypan Squash
They’re also flexible so you can harvest sunburst squash at whatever size you prefer. At two to three inches they make great baby vegetables. But even when harvested in the eight to ten inch range this pattypan squash remains tender and delicious.
Sunburst can also be grown to produce squash blossoms for stuffing or use in other gourmet recipes. Keeping the fruits picked will encourage the production of additional blossoms and squashes.
Sunburst pattypan squash is mild flavored and can be sliced and added to a raw vegetable tray. They can also be cooked in a variety of simple ways including: steamed, grilled, sauteed, or even stuffed with ingredients such as wild rice and gourmet mushrooms.
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June 24th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Where can I go to get a white sunburst squash recipe?
June 29th, 2009 at 2:22 am
I have a patty pan squash that seems to have cross pollinated with my zucchini. It was suppose to be a white patty pan but it is yellow with green (just like the zucchini) on them. Is it possible that they are actually cross pollinating? Laurie
June 29th, 2009 at 6:37 am
Laurie, the squash probably are cross pollinating if they are growing together but that wouldn’t explain the fruits that you are seeing. The outward effect of the cross pollination on the fruits doesn’t usually show up until the next generation after the seeds are replanted. Were your seeds purchased form a seed supplier or did you or someone else save them from plants that may have crossed last summer?
July 21st, 2009 at 2:41 pm
I grew Sunburst squash for the first time this year. Mine is bright yellow on top and green on the bottom. When they started out, they looked like tiny pie crust tops with the wavy edges. They are a medium dark green on the bottom. They are very good to eat, right out of the garden cut into slices or cut into thicker slices and placed on the grill for a short time. I was pleasantly surpised. The blossoms are good to eat right off of the plant.
August 6th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Hello – I came across this thread while looking for answers to a “Patty Pan Squash” hybrid or ‘mutant’ that I have growing in my garden this year. I hope you don’t mind me asking this question here… Last year I grew a variety of summer squash – zucchini, yellow and patty pan. This year I had some “volunteers” from last year’s discarded seeds.
One plant is producing Patty Pan-type squash. The leaves and plant shape is identical to this year’s seed-planted Patty Pan squash, and the skin is light green and smooth, but the squash are oblong in shape… looks more like a gourd than a squash. Any idea how this could happen? Thanks!
August 6th, 2009 at 11:53 am
LaurieLou, it sounds like the various squash varieties that you planted last summer all cross pollinated with each other and left you with a crop of mystery squash. You wouldn’t have noticed anything strange from the squash fruits last season, but the seeds from those cross pollinated fruits are growing into the mutants and misfits that you see in your garden this year.