“Googootz” is American slang for the Italian word “cucuzza,” which is a large type of squash. And large it is for South Country Road, Bellport, resident Lily Izzo, who only came to the area a few years ago.

Her neighbor, who lives a few blocks down in Bellport Village, Michelina Maguire, acquires the Italian seeds from Italian friends of her uncles. For the past two years, since living in Bellport, Maguire has tried to grow her Italian squash to no avail, despite her many successful efforts in her old Dix Hills backyard.

“I grew hundreds of pounds of them, but I just didn’t have much luck this year or last,” Maguire said. “I was flabbergasted when I saw Lily’s.”

Maguire and Izzo, both of whom were born in Italy, met last year as members of the local garden club. As such, Maguire gave her one of the smaller squashes she managed to grow. Izzo used it and threw the gutted seeds to feed the birds near a dead tree stump in her backyard.

Having never physically planted the seeds, Izzo was shocked to find the enormous plant grow the next summer. The stump, Izzo said, must have acted like a mulch to help fertilize the seed, though she never watered the area.

“I planted three plants in my garden last year and got nothing—I watered and fertilized, but all I needed was a dead tree!” said Maguire laughing.

As of this month, at her South Country Road home, Izzo grew a total of seven squashes measuring up to 3 feet long and weighing about 20 to 30 pounds—each!

The veggie can be used in sauce over pasta, or breaded and fried for a version of parmigiana similar to eggplant, as well as several other ways. Izzo also utilizes the orange flowers from the plants to stuff and fry. If left on the vine, the squash turns yellow and into a winter squash similar to pumpkin, which can be used for soup.

“It has a better taste,” Izzo said, compared to what can be purchased in a supermarket.