Origin: North America
Etymology: From the Algonquin Indian words askoot asquash, meaning “to eat green” 

An annual plant with trailing stems, of the Cucurbitaceae family. Unlike summer squash, its skin is hard and inedible.

This is the vegetable “spaghetti.” A small watermelon-shaped variety of squash, it ranges in size from 2 to 5 pounds or more. It has a golden-yellow oval rind, and its sweet bland yellowish flesh separates into strands like spaghetti when cooked.