Squash/gourd id help please!

Hi everyone
Here’s a pic of a squash/gourd that someone gave me the seedling for last summer.
The skin is very hard so peeling it is very difficult; not like a pumpkin or butternut squash.
Could it be an inedible gourd?
Any suggestions gratefully received!
Thank you

 

It doesn't look like there's enough flesh on it to be worth bothering trying to eat it.

 

I thought that too for this one, but I do have a couple of bigger ones as well. Just don’t fancy getting ill from eating an inedible one. Either way, if anyone knows what it is I’d be interested to know. Thanks!

 

The main risk with squash plants is high levels of cucurbitacin which can make you very ill. You can get this in courgettes too.

 

Could the seedling have been the result of a cross ? Have you looked at any sites selling ornamental ones at all - tho I wouldn't describe yours as ornamental .
The only ornamentals I have grown in the past were Turks Turban and Bottle Gourds but I imagine there are quite a few others by now.

 

Sorry Philippa I seem to have added my last comment to your post. I don’t know how!

 

No problem @Cornsquashandy Does sound a bit of a mix up but good luck with your investigation. As has been said, just be careful re eating the mystery squash.

 

It looks like you accidentally deleted the last square bracket from [/QUOTE]. So the forum software would no longer know where to end the quote, and would include your text.

 

I think that happened a couple of years ago with seed people were buying, and the courgettes were making people ill.

 

Yes, you're supposed to test the first courgette you pick off a plant. You touch your tongue to the flower end, and if you don't detect any bitterness it and the rest of the fruit on the plant will be fine.

 

In the words of a certain person, not a lot of people know that, Must admit I didn't, I thought you gave the first ones to the neighbours and if you still saw them around in a couple of days they were ok to eat.

 

The neighbours would vomit for several days solid and then be too polite to tell you so. "Oh they were lovely".

 

The question I have is when is a squash an ornamental? I ask because turks turban is often called an ornamental but many people eat those. I had a quick look and it says gourds aren't edible but what determines a gourd from a edible squash? Lots of the little gourds I see online are from squash that I know people eat.

 

I've grown Turks Turban as an edible good keeping squash, the colour and shape are a bonus. Can require a bit more work in the kitchen due to shape, but worth it.
This year I didn't get any as the slugs declared war on the Turks Turban plants.