Bitter squash - very poorly tummy - warning!

[kathyd]

I didn't realise that squash could make you ill! Our lovely roast veg mixture last night contained chunks of 2 small squashes of the same type, which we've had before with no problems. One was nice, tender and sweet, and the other was very very bitter. Needless to say, having tried a couple of chunks with and without skin, we abandoned the rest of the squash and just enjoyed the other bits of the meal. However, we're both now suffering from stomach cramps, and fighting for time on the loo... Having googled it, I've found out that you occasionally get a rogue squash/pumpkin/marrow which produces high levels of a toxin called cucurbitacin E, which is highly toxic to humans. It's completley random, with usually just one or two fruits on the plant being affected, and it doesn't take much to cause a reaction, so at the first hint of bitterness in ANY squash (including courgettes), stop eating straight away!

Don't know if it was just coincidence, but one of the squashes had an extremely hard skin - had problems getting the knife through it - although both were the same size and (probably) from the same plant.

[veggiechicken]

Poor you, Kathy - Hope you all recover soon.
I've never heard of this before Thanks for the warning.

[chris]

Summer squash.. ?

[Feral007]

Oh dear! Hope you're feeling better by now. I'll stay away from the bitter ones then!

[lottie dolly]

thanks for the heads up,nature is really working against peeps this year,hope your both better soon,

[Nicos]

Yikes- I've never heard of that either!

What variety of seed did you grow? ( and where from???)

Hope you feel better soon xx

[kathyd]

Hi all, thx for your good wishes . Both feeling much better now thanks - slightly fragile tummies, but happily eating toast!

I bought a packet of 'mixed squash' seeds, no idea where from, or what kinds, sorry. The guilty squash on this occasion is dark green with yellow patches and bobbly bits on it. BUT things I read on google did suggest that ALL squashes - summer and winter - could do this. Chris - I did find comments from people who'd had bitter courgettes too, but they weren't complaining about such drastic effects!).

I've not heard of it before either, and it's probably so rare it's almost irrelevant, but it's worth being aware I guess... As I say, we've eaten others from the same plant and they've been fine, so just unlucky I guess. But if it happens again we won't say 'yuk, what's that bitter stuff? Let's try another piece to see if it was really the squash... let's try just eating the flesh and not the skin...' - we'll just dump the lot straight away!

[chris]

Ah, interesting. Shame you don't know which it was, could have been one to give the MIL!

[Nicos]

If it's the ornamental type, I thought you weren't supposed to eat them??

[veggiechicken]

Ah, interesting. Shame you don't know which it was, could have been one to give the MIL!

I'll tell her Chris - you forget we're almost neighbours!!

[kathyd]

And I always thought Chris was such a nice person... . It's this one... You mean we might be eating ornamental squashes?? I'm sure I've seen pics of them stuffed with various goodies on google, and we all know google never lies....

[Nicos]

They look like some I grew last year from a packet of ornamental gourds.

I have had a gooooogle and some places say they are edible but not as nice as the more typical ones.
I wonder if the ones you've seen stuffed were filled with something else rather than their own flesh???

Mind you- having said that- nothing goes to waste over here does it????
Glad to hear you are both feeling better.

[lottie dolly]

Ah, interesting. Shame you don't know which it was, could have been one to give the MIL!

NOT all mothering laws are hum hum,but my DH's one was a bu....,DH once refered to her as a dragon,dad rose up out of his seat to deffend her honour,it was only his privelede to do insults,lol,

[snohare]

Judging by that picture Kathyd, I'd say you were eating biological hand grenades !
Glad you are recovering, thanks for the heads up, not one I'd heard of before, a new toxin to add to my list of "Did you know"s...

[Rabidbun]

Well I never - amazing what you can not know for years! Explains an incident with a courgette years ago that we bought and had gut cramps all night from I suspect. Avoided courgette for ages afterwards until finding out that we could actually eat courgette without pain and we didn't just both have a weird coincidental sensitivity to the stuff.

Hope you are better today.