STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — If you’ve never heard of a “gagootz,” don’t worry — Staten Island is here to enlighten you. This quirky term refers to the Italian squash known as cucuzza, a long, green gourd ...

My brother, John, arrived on my doorstep with a roughly 2 1/2-foot-long cucuzza. He and my brother Michael both grow the Italian squash in their gardens, so I've eaten the snake-like creatures -- ...

This spring, like so many others, I found myself with some extra time on my hands and nowhere to go. So, I decided to work on some projects that I have been putting on the back burner for several ...

Cucuzza Italian squash can be intimidating because it grows to such lengths, but it is as easy to manage as any summer squash. It has a delightfully mild flavor that goes will in any number of dishes.