Some of the best things in the world happen by accident; Post it Notes, potato chips, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and my discovery of Tatume’ squash. While three of these accidental discoveries yielded vast quantities of money for their inventors, my discovery yields pounds and pounds of a fresh, flavorful, and versatile squash.
Between work, grad school and the remodel of my house, my garden has not received the time and attention it normally gets. Since it was a little late in the spring when I built my potager, I decided to speed things up a bit by purchasing established vegetable plants for my garden. I bought my plants from the left over’s of the Texas A&M Horticulture Club’s Annual Plant Sale. I bought several varieties of tomatoes, egg plant, watermelon, and fennel. When I went looking for squash though, there were only two types left; white summer squash (we call it UFO squash in our house) and a variety that I had never heard of called Tatume’. I grabbed the last summer squash and two of the Tatume’.
Tatume' vines and flowers in my potager
I soon realized that Tatume’ was no normal squash. In a little over a week it has sent out vines that were over six feet long! Everywhere a node lay against the ground, it rooted and sent out more shoots. In two weeks time, half of my garden was over run by these two aggressive plants. I was afraid it would cover the entire garden but I was comforted by how lovely it was. The vines were covered with beautiful big yellow flowers. Once it flowered, the growth rate decreased. I decided to do some research and see what I had gotten myself into.
Most of the squash that we grow come from the species Cucurbita pepo. Tatume’ is a variety of this species. C. pepo is a native of Meso-America and archeological evidence shows that gardener’s there have been growing varieties of it for the past 8,000 to 10,000 years. In America, squash is generally divided into two categories based on when they are harvested. Summer squashes like yellow crook neck, zucchini, and pattypan (UFO) are harvested in their immature state. Immature squash have a soft skin, seeds and flesh. Winter squash like butternut, spaghetti, and acorn are simply squash that are allowed to ripen fully on the vine before they are harvested. Winter squash have a thick hard skin and their flesh is generally firmer and sweeter than summer squash. Tatume’ is one the rare varieties of squash that can be harvested as either a summer or winter squash.
Young Tatume'
Tatume squash is an open pollinated variety (heirloom variety) so you can save the seeds from year to year. The fruits are round or oblate in shape. Their skin is stripped green and they resemble a small watermelon or pumpkin in there immature form. It is best to harvest Tatume’ when it is about the size of baseball. If left to mature, their skin will become a mottled deep green and they can grow to almost the size of a soccer ball.
Tatume’ appears to be the squash of many names. Many seed catalogs list it as Tatume’ or Tatuma but I have also seen it listed as round zucchini and Mexican zucchini. In the markets of Mexico, it is most often called calabacita (little pumpkin).
Whatever you call it, it is a very versatile and flavorful little squash. It is a staple of Mexican cuisine. Mexican cooks use this squash in soups, breakfast dishes, casseroles and as a stand alone side. This year, my wife and I have used it in lieu of yellow squash in all of our squash recipes. We have fried it, baked it, boiled it with onions and made it into a casserole. We even harvested and sautéed the blossoms. However, our favorite thing about Tatume’ is the way that it cooks on the grill. Tatume’ is more flavorful than yellow squash and its flesh is much firmer. Its round shape and firm texture allows it to be cut into thick round patties that are perfect for the grill. A little EVOO, garlic salt, season salt and fresh ground black pepper make for a simple but delicious summer side dish.
A ripe Tatume' ready for the grill!
Tatume’ is a squash variety that posses all of the traits that make squash one of my favorite summer vegetables to grow. It is hardy and productive. Its long vines produce a fabulous show of big yellow flowers that draw bees into the garden. It is tasty and versatile in the kitchen. My accidental experiment with Tatume’ has convinced me to add this to my keeper list. I highly encourage you to try it in your garden as well!
*This article was published in the June 2010 issue of “Hort Update” (http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/newsletters/hortupdate/2010/jun/)
Those are some goooood lookin Tatumes!! Very cool
Very interesting! Well done!
The Tatume that I’m use to seeing is from a man from India.Long slender neck graduating into a bulbulous tail.These grow with a strange hexigon shape the lenght throughout.It has a uniform light green color,and matures into a gourd type shell approx. half the size of a watermelon.My plants otherwise look the same,and grow the same.I didn’t save the seeds from last year.Collassial BLUNDER esp. if it’s a species/type streight out of India as I believe to be probable.
The more I have talked to folks, the more I have come to believe that the term “Tatume” is kind of generic for any green bulbous squash that people don’t have a formal name for. Since writing the article, I have seen a variety with a neck listed in a seed catalog as tatume’. Too bad you didn’t keep the seeds. I like to try new things and I would have enjoyed doing a seed swap with you. Thanks so much for taking time to leave me a comment.
I bought my tatume seed from a vendor called Baker Creek Seed. After reading your post I planted only two hills. We learned to love tatume after eating it at the Mexican grocery here in town. Truly a wonderful taste, so much better than the commonly known summer squash. I love squash pie, so I’m going to let some ripen out for fall. Thanks for your great post.
I am so glad you got something useful out of my article. Like you, I only planted two mounds this year and it has been more than enough for my wife and I. BTW, I also use Baker Creek Seeds. I am currently growing some amarths and tigger melons that I got from them. They are a great company and I will continue to use them in the future. One tip. let one of your squash stay on the vine untill the vine dies. You can then harvest the seeds to share or keep. Thanks for taking the time to drop me a line. I really appreciate the comments.
Thanks for the info on Tatume. I also bought some from Baker Seed, but can’t find my catalog, and didn’t know when to harvest it (size wise), or what to do with it. I think slice-and-grill sounds like the way to go. Do you season it with EVOO, salt, and pepper before grilling it, or put them on after it’s cooked?
I like to harvest mine when they are between baseball and softball size. I put the EVOO, salt and pepper on before the grill. My wife found a recipe for stuffed tatume (or summer squash) on youtube. It was excellent.
Hi! New here and new to gardening. Planning ahead for 2013 – the first spring I hope to plant. I have much to do to prepare my yard for a garden. I found you because I live in Austin which experienced record heat/drought last summer and we have strict watering rules (which I’d like to observe as much as possible). I’ve been reading plant descriptions on the Seed Savers Exchange website for drought resistant plants. I’ve also been reading about the Native American three sisters method of planting – planting corn, beans and squash together to let the plants nurture and assist one another. I think that is the route I’d like to go. I’m considering bloody butcher corn, rattlesnake snap beans and tatume. I’m leaning toward those varieties of bean and corn because they are drought resistant. How often do you water the tatume and what is the length of its growing season and harvest? Does it re-flower and continue after harvest? I’m finding little info about it online. Do you have experience with the rattlesnake beans or bloody butcher corn or that planting method? I can’t wait to read more of your blog! Thanks!
What a wonderful comment. Glad you are enjoying the blog. Please feel free to subscribe and send questions anytime. I love gardening and I am so excited when young people get started. If you want to learn all about Tatume’, I have a 2500 word article coming out next month in Texas Gardener. Since I want to answer all of your questions thoroughly I am going to send you an email directly. Again, Thanks for reading and i hope to hear back from you soon!
Thank goodness for your blog! I had a great summer 2011 for my zucchini until about halfway through SVBs took out all 4 of my plants. I was looking at the tatume seed on Bakers Creek also but decided to do a little more research and found your blog. I have a sqft garden. Do you think I can grow these vertical? Also I loved making zucchini bread last summer, are these tender enough for that?
Thank you much!
Thank you for the lovely comment. I truly love Tatume’ I have no doubt that you can grow it vertically. The only thing I would suggest is stay on it while it is vining. I truly believe it can grow up to a foot a day before it flowers. Also, when the vines get too long I just trim them back. It might mean I get fewer fruit but at least I can walk around in my garden.
As far as cooking with it, it is important to pick the fruit when it is baseball size. When we picked them at this size we could do everything with them. My wife made bread and a dessert that was very bread or cake like. Once the fruit get over that size, the seeds get big and tough. i don’t even like grilling it when the seeds get tough.
Thanks for reading and thanks for the great comment. If you ever have any other questions don’t hesitate to ask!
Do you know of a zucchini you could grow on a stake or trellis that doesn’t have such a long vine that grows in Bulverde TX , just south of you.Take a look at this website,it is a cool way to grow zucchini in a small space.I am doing sg. foot garden.
..vinehttp://mysquarefootgarden.net/pruning-zucchini/Did u come across any zucchini that is bore resistent or ways to prevent bores? Where r you getting your seed from?E-mail me ASAP @bentkowskid @me.com.I sent a note to Emily to find out what kind of squash she uses or her reader Carole that sent her the video uses.Can u send me that article you wrote on Tatume. Would it be easier to grow it on a trellis or stake? Emily recomends 2 sq. I only have one available now with the short stake but have 2 sqs with the trellis. I am also growing corn , it is about a ft. long now. My stake is only 3feet long, my trellis is about 4.5 ft. tall.Have u any experience with the 3 sister method?
First, I am a big fan of square foot gardening. I am very impressed with the staking method even though I have never seen it. It looks like you can get it done in a single square. If you plant starts getting too tall, simply cut the top off. This will stop it from growing up and force foliage and fruit out onto the “branches”.
About squash vine borer resistance. I have never found any squash, accept Tatume, to be truly resistant. The only way to prevent them from getting in is growing the plant under row cover. The row cover must be securely anchored to the ground all the way around the plant. Squash bugs are tougher. If their eggs overwintered in your soil, they may get in even with the row cover. To control them, I spray with neem oil. You can also place boards or shingles around the plant. The squash bugs will get under them and you can then remove them and squash them by placing on concrete and stepping on the board or shingle;
About three sisters, I feel you are limited by the square foot method. To effectively grow corn you need several plants to pollinate each other. The beans can be interplanted as they just run up the stalks. It is the squash that gets you. The squash used in three sisters in a vining squash like Tatume or other winter squashes. Thesee squash can send out runners that are 12’ long. Not square foot friendly for sure.
As to where I get my seeds. First, I save my own Tatume. For others I get them at a couple of local nurseries or sometimes online at Baker Creek Seeds or Seed Savers Exchange.
Thanks for all of the great questions. I hope this helps. Good luck!
JUST READ YOUR ARTICLE, AND I AM GOING TO TRY TO FIND TATUME SEEDS LOCALLY AND TRY THEM THIS YEAR. ABOUT SQUASH VINE BORERS, I PLANT BURPEE BUTTERBUSH EVERY YEAR AS THEY ARE NEVER ATTACKED BY THE BORERS. THE VINES ARE TO HARD FOR THEM TO PENATRATE. I USUALLY LOSE ABOUT 50% OF MY OTHER SQUASH (ACORN, ZUCCHINE, YELLOW) . I HAVE EVEN TRIED ROW COVERS BUT AFTER I TAKE THEM OFF WHEN THE PLANTS START TO FLOWER, I STILL GET BORERS. HOPE THIS MAY BE OF HELP.
Thanks for the great tip. I am not familiar with “butterbush” but you can bet i will be looking it up now.