Dangerous Liasons

Mystery squash

I suppose every garden season must hold a few disappointments, and this year the ugly fellow above is filling the bill for me.  This - my seed purveyor would have me believe - is a butternut squash.  Or rather, it is the product of the only "butternut squash" vine I had room to plant in my garden.  You see, members of the cucurbitaceae family cross-pollinate readily, producing offspring that are...unique.  This little guy is likely the result of someone planting their butternut squash too near to their...well, I don't know what its daddy was.  The plant is apparently very healthy, though, completely dominating the watermelon vines, the carrot bed, and a small portion of my gardening neighbor's plot as well.  (I did some work this week cutting it back down to size, so now I have three of these puppies haunting my dining room.  Is it ready?  I don't know!)

I'm kind of scared to try it.