# Coyote's



## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I have a question for you garden guru's.

Has anyone ever grown Coyote Squash? We get them in the grocery stores about this time each year and most of them have sprouted. It is my understanding that the whole squash should be planted or they will not grow.

The big question I have is what kind of plant will grow, are they a bushy like a zucchini or a vine like cucumbers? Do they need to climb on something or will they do ok on the ground? A big question is how heavy do the produce, will the four that I have that are sprouting be sufficient a family of 4 that likes them?

I read an article in one of my old issues of "Mother Earth News" about someone that grew them but I cant find it. I had a water leak a few years ago and some of he magazines were ruined and I think that the article was in one of the ones that got wet.

I pickled some a few years ago and they make very good pickles. We make about 50 or more quarts of Dill, Polish and Sweet pickles each year and making some out of the Coyotes would add to the variety.


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## Tank_Girl (Dec 26, 2011)

Do you mean...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chayote

We go them here in Australia but we call them Choko.
They are a vine and I grow them over a fence.
They are really easy to grow.
Just take the sprouting squash and then turn it upside down so that the top bit that the sprout is coming out of is in the soil.
The roots come out of that point as well and not the bottom as you might suspect.
Plant it halfway and keep it moist.

They will scramble a bit but it's easy enough to control. Just take the lead shoots and turn them back without kinking.
They are best picked when they are a little larger than a pear otherwise they do get a little fibrous.

Herein Australia we use them in soups, stews, steamed, mashed and we also make chutneys and relishes with them because you tend to get a glut.
The really good thing about them is they don't tend to turn to mush when put into stews and they absorb flavors well.
A good way of bulking out whatever your cooking instead of using pasta or potatoes.


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## k0xxx (Oct 27, 2011)

If it is indeed the chayote that you are referring to, in New Orleans where I grew up, they are called mirlitons. I've been trying to locate a source for the variety grown in New Orleans for a number of years. Everyone that I know from the area, that grew them, lost theirs in 2005 to the flood waters. I've tried growing the ones from the store, but as of yet I have not had any luck with them reaching maturity. Let us know how it works out for you.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Well, Tank_Girl, That is what I ment. I have only seen them in local grocery stores and they have dropped the "h" and just called them "Coyote". 

Thank you for the info, I will try them the next time I make a soup, sounds pretty good. I knew they had to be good for something else besides pickles.

You call them "Choko"? I will add that to my phrase book right next to "G'day" and "No Worries" We have a few Aussies around here at some of the big horse outfits. 

Daing, I love that accent.


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