Yellow summer squash is a type of yellow-coloured summer squash

Summer Squash

Summer squash are a subset of squashes that are harvested when immature . All summer squashes are the fruits of the species Cucurbita pepo , but they are considered vegetables in terms of culinary use...

. It is also known as straightneck squash to distinguish it from its close relative, the yellow crookneck squash

Yellow crookneck squash

Yellow crookneck squash is one of many cultivated Cucurbita pepo, the gourd species that includes zucchini and pumpkin. This is a variety of summer squash with bumpy, yellow skin and sweet flesh. Its name distinguishes it from its close relative, the yellow summer squash, which has a straight neck...

. It has mildly sweet and watery flesh, and thin tender skins that can be left on the fruit for many types of recipes. It was almost certainly domesticated in the eastern United States, although other variants of the same species (zucchini

Zucchini

The zucchini is a summer squash which often grows to nearly a meter in length, but which is usually harvested at half that size or less. It is a hybrid of the cucumber. Along with certain other squashes, it belongs to the species Cucurbita pepo. Zucchini can be dark or light green...

, pumpkin

Pumpkin

A pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae . It commonly refers to cultivars of any one of the species Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita mixta, Cucurbita maxima, and Cucurbita moschata, and is native to North America...

) were domesticated in Mesoamerica

Mesoamerica

Mesoamerica is a region and culture area in the Americas, extending approximately from central Mexico to Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, within which a number of pre-Columbian societies flourished before the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th and...

. The squash grows on vined plants reaching 60 centimetres (2 ft) to 90 centimetres (3 ft) in height that thrive in mild weather. It is well known as an item in American cooking, and is often used in recipes interchangeably with zucchini in which it is fried, microwaved, steamed, boiled, or baked. A good yellow summer squash will be small and firm with tender skin free of blemishes and bruising. It is available all year long in some regions, but it is at its peak from early through late summer.