Zucchini, Goldini 2 (Organic)
Cucurbita pepo. Golden-Yellow. 40-50 days.
Folks have been asking us for Goldini Zucchini, a yellow zuke bred by Carol Deppe, since its release in 2016. New for 2023, we’re pleased to offer Goldini 2 – Carol’s improved line! Bred for and under organic conditions, Carol has achieved so much with this release. We have found Goldini 2 to be outstanding for both agronomic traits (earliness and vigor) and culinary use (whether prepared raw, cooked, or dried). Golden, slightly club-shaped fruit are good when eaten small like a traditional market zuke, but flavor and texture peak when fruit are larger. Carol recommends picking the fruit when they are closer to 1-2 lbs, and we can confirm that these larger fruit are excellent. One of the most interesting uses of this squash is for drying. As she wrote in her book The Resilient Gardener, Carol recommends slicing and drying the bigger 2-3 lb fruit for use throughout the year. This traditional preservation method was earlier described in the 1917 book, Buffalo Bird Woman’s Garden, but most modern varieties don’t lend themselves to this type of preparation. While the plants are mostly uniform, there are some variations in leaf shape and plant growth habit which Carol says keeps the line diverse and vigorous. Highly productive; our kitchen garden plant seemed unstoppable and gave us harvestable fruit almost daily. For a deep dive into Carol’s process for breeding Goldini (which began by crossing Gold Rush yellow zuke into Costata Romanesco), check out this page.
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Sow indoors in 2-4” pots May through mid-June. Transplant into the garden 1-2 weeks after sprouting to 2-3’ centers and 3’ wide rows. May also be direct sown when soil is warm. Young plants are sensitive, we recommend row cover to protect from frost and insects.
Seed Saving
To save seed, let fruit mature on plant until autumn when they’re giant. Harvest and scoop out seeds. Rinse off and dry. Isolate from other squash of the same species by at least ½ mile.
Sylvan (verified owner) –
Where did you grow this variety? Oregon
Seeds were quick and reliable to germinate indoors and became incredibly vigorous seedlings. I have a single backyard Goldini 2 which is a large, tall, easy going bush and very productive. It easily yields 3x as much fruit as my Costata Romanesco. Ribbed fruit adds nice textural element to dishes when sliced and sautéed or roasted. Impressive and beautiful, I will grow Goldini 2 again.
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sawyer2 (verified owner) –
Where did you grow this variety? Oregon
This does not seem as rangy as most zucchini which is why I don’t usually grow them because they will need to be covered some frosty night, and take too much space in the hoop house. But as it is developed by Carol Deppe I had to try. They were already producing in late June when covered with blankets on 3 cold nights, 27 and 28 degrees and came through a little beat up and just kept going, producing very nice squash. I thank the above reviewer for the terrific picture.
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Barbara A Roemer (verified owner) –
Where did you grow this variety? California
Always interested in Deppe’s work on resilience, nonetheless, I brought some skepticism to this seed. How could a 2 pound zucchini retain flavor or be an improvement on 6″ summer’s best? Couldn’t be more pleased with the results. Bears early, sizes up fast, though I had to restrain myself from eating too many small ones, very productive while not being rangy, and is incredibly sweet even when 4″ in diameter! 10 trays in the dehydrator now as an experiment (I mean, what can two people do with that much dried squash? – we’re about to find out!). Several years ago in Turkey, we saw many elderly women stringing zucchini slices (and okra and eggplant) to dry for winter consumption. Seemed an obvious legacy of Silk Road trading routes. Now this elderly woman can step into the flow of tradition from the Middle Ages.
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