(60 days) Open-pollinated. Will Bonsall calls it “the only summer squash worth bothering with, unless you’re just thirsty.” Deeply striped and ribbed, Costata resembles Cocozelle, with a distinctive sweet mildly nutty flavor. Also a productive source for tasty male squash blossoms and good for stuffing even when the fruits get way oversized. Tender skin damages easily, a liability for commercial transport. Slower to bear and not as high yielding as hybrid varieties. However, resisted a severe PM epidemic and still bore lovely fruits on Sept. 10 in 2016. If you want to win the blue ribbon for largest summer squash at your fair, grow Costata. It reaches 20 lb in a good year. ①
 
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