Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-10-24
THE YELLOW CRooKNECK.

MT. LoOEAs oach w las
Youth and Chants Gardens Praise.
II sing" said Mr.. Kilkinby to a New
York Sun writer, 1.-The yellow crook
necked squash Not the crab-colored,
fiat, round, scallop-edged squash, wa
terry, insipid, tasteless, but the crook
necked squash of the golden hue, or
which | have golden memories.
In my youth we had a garden in
which we raised vegetables-all sorts
of vegetables for instance,
cucumbers such as no man, however
rich, can have set upon his table I'M
less he lives in the country and has a
garden of his own; cuucmbers OF just
the right ripeness that we picked IN
the early morning when the dew was
still on them and that cracked when
we cut theSl, cool and crisp and brit
tie.
And we had corn such as l have
never seen the like of since, and lima
beans, and various other things that
are at their best only freshly gathered,
like the yellow, crook-necked squash.
What a delight the yellow crook
neck, l can remember well the sum-
ner days, when the trees were waving
gently in the breeZes and the sun was
shining brightly through their branch
es, making shifting patterns OF light on
the green grass below; when the bees
were droning and the humming BIRDS
were humming and the flowers were
blooming and all the world was gay;
/ used to get rayenOusly hungry long
lefore that hour, and when all the
smells and sounds that came from the
Iitchen were as the perfumed notes of
IN orchestra playing lovely overture.
And among all those preliminary
smells and sounds none was more
charming than the smothered pounding
that indicated the smashing of the
squash. Those little yellow crook
necks that we grew in our own garden,
to be picked when they were precisely
and exactly ripe, were now, having
been duly cooked, smashed up in
wooden chopping bowl with Il plate and
this was the sound that we heard, the
sound of the edge of the plate when it
went through the tender bright yellow
squashes to bring up softly on the
wood.
And so they were smashed, smooth
and fine, these freshly picked, delight
full yellow crooknecks, to be duly sea-
Will h,,+ in ho
course of the smashing; and then they
were served hot and delicious, and if
there is any vegetable grown that gives
a greater joy in the eating l don't
know it.
THE crisp fresh cucumbers of which
l spoke are a delight, but a delight of
quite another character, delight keen
er and more pungent and awakening,
and asparagus has joy that is all its
own, and there are other very pleasing
vegetables, to be sure. each delightful
in its way. but for certain suavity
and soothingness and profoundness of
satisfaction the yellow crookneck
stands alone.
Il sing the yellow crooknecked
squash, whose joys are so fraught with
memories, still so deep and abiding,
and still so easily aroused l don't
think the crookneck is to-day what it
used to be. The crooknecks of my
youth were all rather small squashes
and all tender and all of bright and
beautiful yellow the crooknecks Of the
present time seem bigger and clumsier
and coarser and crustier and of dark
err. muddier. more orangelike color, but
still they do preserve something of
their old-time flavor, and certainly life
will be worth living as long as, even
in its later form, we can have with us
the yellow crookneck squash"