Beginner...but this doesn't look like any zucchini I've seen

So, I bought some plants from a nearby farm and am growing a zucchini which is doing quite well after I got the advice to give them a little fertilizer back when they were doing poorly. I had a "zucchini" start to grow, and it looked ROUND. I thought that maybe it would elongate into the traditional zucchini shape...but it didn't! Plus, I have a yellow zucchini plant nearby which has femal blooms about to open, and those blooms have elongated yellowish baby fruits behind them. The round "zucchini" definitely had round baby fruit too....

Is this a zucchini? When is it mature? Thanks!

Yes it is a zucchini and you do not want mature zucchini. These are best at baseball size, but like the cylindrical zukes are usable at softball size. Several cultivars possible Black Ball, Eight Ball, Geode, ....

I agree with what Farmerdill said. Don't be afraid, I'm trying eight balls for the first time this year as well.

That one in the picture was about baseball sized, so I plucked it, and chopped it up and ate it. It was indeed a zucchini! I felt like the flavor was much milder, and the flesh seemed firmer? The seeds has already formed and were definitely noticeable, but not bad to eat yet. :)

Thanks! My first "fruit" of my garden was a round zucchini....who knew!

Yes it's a zucchini! It looks like a Tondo di Piacenza which is an Italian variety of round zucchini. Ours is very prolific and we often harvest the blossoms to eat as well! We harvest ours when they reach about baseball sized although I've had a few sneaky ones that grew as large as softballs. Once they are about baseball sized and still a shiny green they are absolutely delicious!

ryduj - I loved reading your zucchini story. Gardening is such an adventure, you never know from year to year what's going to turn up.

I have a few mystery seedlings growing, too. They are either melons or cucumbers - time will tell.

I too have some volunteers that in the early stages I could not tell if they were to be zucchini, cukes or melons. Now 2 have been transplanted into each their own pot and the others are still in the compost pile with the now identified potatoes. 3 of those plants are vining and flowering and no zuchinni. They must be sterile, so maybe I will try eating the flowers stuffed with cheese and fried (have heard of that). 2 in the pile are still questionable as too cukes or melons, but I will not get my hopes up for fruit. I do know there are some taters in that heap, as I have pulled 2 plants for a grand total of 3 potatoes.