PSA for the #gardening #allotment #GrowYourOwn folks: this sounds ridiculous but is 100% true I promise.
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PSA for the #gardening #allotment #GrowYourOwn folks: this sounds ridiculous but is 100% true I promise. If your courgettes, zucchini or summer squash taste bitter, don't eat them. In hot dry conditions squash produce a toxic defensive compound called cucurbitacin E, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea. If you keep eating them it can cause something called toxic squash syndrome (again I promise this isn't a joke) which can make your hair fall out. And this has been a very hot dry summer.
Prompted by a friend of mine sharing that his courgettes were minging this year so he covered them in cheese and ate them anyway. Don't do that.
@afewbugs this heat and hosepipe bans are wiping me out this year. Emptied 6 waterbutts already (normally last the season) and everyday, everything looks wilted bt 11am
. I am out of space for more waterbutts, so no idea what to do next year, or if I will get anything this year either 
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PSA for the #gardening #allotment #GrowYourOwn folks: this sounds ridiculous but is 100% true I promise. If your courgettes, zucchini or summer squash taste bitter, don't eat them. In hot dry conditions squash produce a toxic defensive compound called cucurbitacin E, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea. If you keep eating them it can cause something called toxic squash syndrome (again I promise this isn't a joke) which can make your hair fall out. And this has been a very hot dry summer.
Prompted by a friend of mine sharing that his courgettes were minging this year so he covered them in cheese and ate them anyway. Don't do that.
@afewbugs I like bitter things - chicory, coffee - & hate waste, but bad courgettes had a nasty taste that earned them a place in the bin.
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PSA for the #gardening #allotment #GrowYourOwn folks: this sounds ridiculous but is 100% true I promise. If your courgettes, zucchini or summer squash taste bitter, don't eat them. In hot dry conditions squash produce a toxic defensive compound called cucurbitacin E, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea. If you keep eating them it can cause something called toxic squash syndrome (again I promise this isn't a joke) which can make your hair fall out. And this has been a very hot dry summer.
Prompted by a friend of mine sharing that his courgettes were minging this year so he covered them in cheese and ate them anyway. Don't do that.
@afewbugs a couple reportedly died a few years ago in Germany after eating zucchini from their own garden.
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PSA for the #gardening #allotment #GrowYourOwn folks: this sounds ridiculous but is 100% true I promise. If your courgettes, zucchini or summer squash taste bitter, don't eat them. In hot dry conditions squash produce a toxic defensive compound called cucurbitacin E, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea. If you keep eating them it can cause something called toxic squash syndrome (again I promise this isn't a joke) which can make your hair fall out. And this has been a very hot dry summer.
Prompted by a friend of mine sharing that his courgettes were minging this year so he covered them in cheese and ate them anyway. Don't do that.
@afewbugs
Thanks Jules. We've started on the journey of growing our own veg this year, and safety information like this seems hard to come by (except by direct experience, which is less than ideal!). Seems like there's little around at the intersection of "plant care" and "cookery". -
@afewbugs
Thanks Jules. We've started on the journey of growing our own veg this year, and safety information like this seems hard to come by (except by direct experience, which is less than ideal!). Seems like there's little around at the intersection of "plant care" and "cookery".@alyn climate change doesn't help either, squash didn't used to do this (at least regularly enough to be a problem for regular household growers) in the UK before the last five years or so.
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PSA for the #gardening #allotment #GrowYourOwn folks: this sounds ridiculous but is 100% true I promise. If your courgettes, zucchini or summer squash taste bitter, don't eat them. In hot dry conditions squash produce a toxic defensive compound called cucurbitacin E, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea. If you keep eating them it can cause something called toxic squash syndrome (again I promise this isn't a joke) which can make your hair fall out. And this has been a very hot dry summer.
Prompted by a friend of mine sharing that his courgettes were minging this year so he covered them in cheese and ate them anyway. Don't do that.
@afewbugs And attention, it can happen even in cold climate: If you collect your own seeds, there's a danger of crosspollination with wild, non-edible species of cucurbitae, which also causes the toxin.
And yes, it's not at all ridiculous, the toxin can even destroy your liver and do more harm than only to hair. If you feel symptoms of the syndrome (you can search it), it's time for the hospital! -
@afewbugs And attention, it can happen even in cold climate: If you collect your own seeds, there's a danger of crosspollination with wild, non-edible species of cucurbitae, which also causes the toxin.
And yes, it's not at all ridiculous, the toxin can even destroy your liver and do more harm than only to hair. If you feel symptoms of the syndrome (you can search it), it's time for the hospital! -
@afewbugs And attention, it can happen even in cold climate: If you collect your own seeds, there's a danger of crosspollination with wild, non-edible species of cucurbitae, which also causes the toxin.
And yes, it's not at all ridiculous, the toxin can even destroy your liver and do more harm than only to hair. If you feel symptoms of the syndrome (you can search it), it's time for the hospital! -
PSA for the #gardening #allotment #GrowYourOwn folks: this sounds ridiculous but is 100% true I promise. If your courgettes, zucchini or summer squash taste bitter, don't eat them. In hot dry conditions squash produce a toxic defensive compound called cucurbitacin E, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea. If you keep eating them it can cause something called toxic squash syndrome (again I promise this isn't a joke) which can make your hair fall out. And this has been a very hot dry summer.
Prompted by a friend of mine sharing that his courgettes were minging this year so he covered them in cheese and ate them anyway. Don't do that.
@afewbugs yeah but what if I’m just built different?
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@malte It depends on the country, beside the non-eatable species for decorations, exist also wild forms: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbita_pepo (where I live, we can have crosspollination with wild zucchini).
It's enough if s'o grows such species in your street.
Of course, crosspollination is rarer than the effects of plant stress like heat/drought. Of course, it's easy to taste the toxin (if you are able to taste bitter!). But better paying attention because the intoxication is dangerous. -
@malte It depends on the country, beside the non-eatable species for decorations, exist also wild forms: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbita_pepo (where I live, we can have crosspollination with wild zucchini).
It's enough if s'o grows such species in your street.
Of course, crosspollination is rarer than the effects of plant stress like heat/drought. Of course, it's easy to taste the toxin (if you are able to taste bitter!). But better paying attention because the intoxication is dangerous.@malte Professional seed producers in France e.g. protect plants from pollinators coming from outside, a method which is not so practicable in gardens. https://www.zollinger.bio/en/blog/garden-care-9/cross-pollination-in-the-cucurbit-family-169
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PSA for the #gardening #allotment #GrowYourOwn folks: this sounds ridiculous but is 100% true I promise. If your courgettes, zucchini or summer squash taste bitter, don't eat them. In hot dry conditions squash produce a toxic defensive compound called cucurbitacin E, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea. If you keep eating them it can cause something called toxic squash syndrome (again I promise this isn't a joke) which can make your hair fall out. And this has been a very hot dry summer.
Prompted by a friend of mine sharing that his courgettes were minging this year so he covered them in cheese and ate them anyway. Don't do that.
@afewbugs Toxic Squash Syndrome formed the basis of a storyline in #TheArchers at last year's fête (or was it the Food and Produce?). @WCOW
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@malte It depends on the country, beside the non-eatable species for decorations, exist also wild forms: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbita_pepo (where I live, we can have crosspollination with wild zucchini).
It's enough if s'o grows such species in your street.
Of course, crosspollination is rarer than the effects of plant stress like heat/drought. Of course, it's easy to taste the toxin (if you are able to taste bitter!). But better paying attention because the intoxication is dangerous.@NatureMC This repeats what I said. Which is that cross-pollination is limited to the species Cucurbita pepo (you said species in plural). I work professionally with Cucurbita breeding and stumble upon people taking this caution too far into saying that all Cucurbita crossing is potentially dangerous, which I think is misinformation. That's just the point I wanted to get in. @afewbugs
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@malte Professional seed producers in France e.g. protect plants from pollinators coming from outside, a method which is not so practicable in gardens. https://www.zollinger.bio/en/blog/garden-care-9/cross-pollination-in-the-cucurbit-family-169
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@NatureMC This repeats what I said. Which is that cross-pollination is limited to the species Cucurbita pepo (you said species in plural). I work professionally with Cucurbita breeding and stumble upon people taking this caution too far into saying that all Cucurbita crossing is potentially dangerous, which I think is misinformation. That's just the point I wanted to get in. @afewbugs
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@snoopy_jay I have no idea what could have killed any guy anywhere 10 yrs ago, sorry ...
We talk about this toxin: https://www.health.com/cucurbitacin-poisoning-zucchini-gourds-8748942?__cf_chl_f_tk=07viKiGo4hMqPJq4YJ9cRhNXdy6m_C6OuWAMk.wezyc-1783870757-1.0.1.1-KWlGbg2E2y3qklSfKvxwtPIgg5y9JlZey51POnVB1.U -
PSA for the #gardening #allotment #GrowYourOwn folks: this sounds ridiculous but is 100% true I promise. If your courgettes, zucchini or summer squash taste bitter, don't eat them. In hot dry conditions squash produce a toxic defensive compound called cucurbitacin E, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea. If you keep eating them it can cause something called toxic squash syndrome (again I promise this isn't a joke) which can make your hair fall out. And this has been a very hot dry summer.
Prompted by a friend of mine sharing that his courgettes were minging this year so he covered them in cheese and ate them anyway. Don't do that.
@afewbugs Diolch Jules, I wonder if it's worth tasting a thin slice of each squash before cooking them? It'd be a shame to waste a whole vat of soup (like the one I've just made) if there's just one bad courgette in there
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@afewbugs Diolch Jules, I wonder if it's worth tasting a thin slice of each squash before cooking them? It'd be a shame to waste a whole vat of soup (like the one I've just made) if there's just one bad courgette in there
@nic dw i'n cytuno. I have absolutely no idea if if one courgette is like that all the other others on the plant will be too, but it can't hurt to lick slices and find out
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PSA for the #gardening #allotment #GrowYourOwn folks: this sounds ridiculous but is 100% true I promise. If your courgettes, zucchini or summer squash taste bitter, don't eat them. In hot dry conditions squash produce a toxic defensive compound called cucurbitacin E, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea. If you keep eating them it can cause something called toxic squash syndrome (again I promise this isn't a joke) which can make your hair fall out. And this has been a very hot dry summer.
Prompted by a friend of mine sharing that his courgettes were minging this year so he covered them in cheese and ate them anyway. Don't do that.
Honestly with this and the guy who messaged me to ask if he could eat his mouldy sourdough yesterday I'm starting to wonder if my main role in friendships is to endeavour to stop my friends giving themselves explosive diarrhea
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Honestly with this and the guy who messaged me to ask if he could eat his mouldy sourdough yesterday I'm starting to wonder if my main role in friendships is to endeavour to stop my friends giving themselves explosive diarrhea
@afewbugs You're doing god's work.
