Lina's Outbox

Success with squash depends on the weather; this year has not been good. There are many kinds, some are summer squash which won't keep beyond Christmas, such as butternuts, and some are winter squash which develop a hard skin when ripened in the sun or the polytunnel or the windowsill and keep till spring. Summer squash have soft skins which don't need peeling, while winter squash are best hacked in pieces, seeds removed, and microwaved or baked in the oven.

AndrewR is dead right about apples. However, as for plums it depends what kind of plums you like. Czar is really for cooking, it has a strong rich flavour. If you like that kind, damsons are worth considering too, they don't need any care and produce tons of fruit. We also have a greengage, which is an early, sweet, green plum, lovely eaten fresh, but with a delicate flavour which does not really survive cooking. You need to research about pollinators or consult the supplier. We have a lot of trees and two damsons and I don't know if they are self-fertile.