While it is one of the tastiest dishes for meals, yellow squash is not as popular as its close relative, zucchini.
Yellow squash is low-carb and high in nutrients. In natural circumstances, the skin of this vegetable is yellow, while the interior is pale white.
However, sometimes the situation changes.
You might notice that the insides of your summer squash are green rather than pale. That can lead you to wonder, why are my yellow squash green?
If you are about to throw away your produce of yellow squash with green insides, don’t be so hasty.
This is not necessarily bad.
Let’s explore some of the reasons your yellow squash is turning out green.
Why Are My Yellow Squash Green?
One of the top reasons for “green squash” is the Cucumber mosaic virus. There could also be issues with pollination, labeling the seed, or how they are maintained.
Here we will explore all the reasons that could be causing the yellow squash to turn green from the inside.
Keep reading!
1. Cucumber Mosaic Virus
This one is a threatening disease that can destroy the whole produce of the yellow squash.
The cucumber mosaic virus is also known as the yellow mosaic virus. This virus is one of the top causes of your squash turning green from the inside.
The cucumber mosaic virus causes the interior of the yellow squash to become entirely green, or sometimes there will be blotches of green. You may also see some patches of green outside the squash.
The infected produce may also have twisted shapes.
- Insects like aphids and whiteflies usually cause the mosaic virus.
- These insects can come from anywhere, even from other plants in your garden.
- Spray insecticide regularly and take other measures to control the invasion of aphids.
- Once infected, not much can be done to save the plants. It would be best to take precautionary measures to prevent the disease from invading the yellow squash.
You can buy squash with a yellow gene or virus-free varieties to ensure a strong yellow color in the final vegetables.
Burn down and properly dispose of any vegetable or fruit that you suspect of being infected.
While it can kill plants, the mosaic virus is not harmful to humans. You can still eat them. The only difference you will notice will be the cucumber-like taste.
Related article: Why Are My Squash Leaves Turning Yellow – Quick Answer
2. Cross-Pollination
The issue of cross-pollination occurs when you are growing multiple plants belonging to the same family.
For example, if you have zucchini and yellow squash growing side by side in your garden, you could face the issue of cross-pollination.
Yellow squash and other plants from the same family depend on insects to cross-pollinate the seeds by carrying them from one plant to another. Sometimes the insects carry the seeds from a squash plant to another zucchini plant or vice versa.
If a zucchini seed gets mixed up with the yellow squash, the interior could look green.
Yellow squash pollinated with zucchini seeds is not harmful to eat.
However, you must check the squash before using it in meals. If there is a bitter taste, you should discard it, as it can cause stomach issues.
3. Mixed-up Seed Varieties
There are several varieties of yellow squash and zucchini.
Some varieties of yellow squash can grow to be either green or yellow from the inside, such as patty pan and globe squash varieties.
If you are growing these plants in your garden, you could sometimes mix the seeds and mislabel them.
For example, if you mislabel the seeds of one of the green varieties of yellow squash or zucchini seeds as squash, the result could be the yellow squash’s green insides.
Keep the seeds separate and label them properly for the best results.
4. Turning Green During the Cooking Process
Sometimes the yellow squash is perfectly fine and white from the inside.
However, when you cook it, the squash turns green during the process.
That can happen if the starch in the squash comes into contact with some of the other ingredients you used, such as iodized salt.
Some of the chemicals inside the yellow squash may also react with each other while cooking and turn the resulting squash meal green.
Can You Safely Eat the “Greenly” Squash?
Now that you have the answer to, why is my yellow squash green? Now, you might be wondering what happens to the greenly produce.
Should I throw it away, or is it safe to consume?
Most of the time, consuming yellow squash with green flesh is safe. The taste will not be the same as the yellow squash with white flesh, but it is usually comfortable to eat.
However, you should always try raw squash before using it in meals. If the taste is bitter, do not use them in any food as it can be one of the bad ones.
You should also not consume yellow squash with a soft white substance outside or if the skin is covered in scars and discolored.
These signs could point to rotten yellow squash.
With that said, let’s move toward the summary.
To Sum up the Talk!
Why are my yellow squash green, you asked? I hope this article answers your question.
A summary:
Several reasons could cause the change in the color of the flesh of the squash.
- If the cross-pollination went wrong and the pollen got mixed up, the yellow squash could end up with the genes of other plants and have a green interior.
- The green color could also be caused by the mix-up of seed varieties.
- The yellow mosaic virus is a major cause of the green insides.
- Always taste the yellow squash before consuming it to ensure there is no bitter taste, or else the squash is not safe for consumption.
- Mostly, it is perfectly fine to eat a yellow squash with green flesh.
That would be all for today. If you liked the article, do share it with other home gardeners.
Regards!