Genuine Faux Farm

 

 

Winter Squash

Storage: Store after curing (off stem, but outdoors for 5-7 days to toughen skin). 50 to 55 degrees F at 50-75% humidity and good air circulation. Squash should not be allowed to be frozen. If they do freeze, you must watch for imprefections to develop. Any fruit with imperfections on the skin should be eaten first. We successfully store our winter squash in the unheated basement so that we can have squash as late as March/April.

Preparation: Cut the squash in half and place open face down in baking pan. A little water on the bottom of the pan helps maintain some moisture in the fruit. Bake ---- Alternately, one can scoop the flesh out of the two halves and bake without the skin. Squash can be served in a fashion similar to potatoes, with a little bit of butter. Some people enjoy brown sugar on squash. Smaller squash may be served in the skin, allowing it to serve as a 'bowl.'

Freezing: Prepare as above and scoop the cooked flesh out of the skin into freezer bags once it is cool. Seal and place in the freezer. You may choose to undercook the squash slightly so that it will be firmer when you choose to use it later.

Varieties:

Vegetable Spaghetti - Skin is ivory, changing to pale yellow at maturity. 3 to 5 pound fruits are oblong shaped. These store on the shorter side and should be eaten within 2 months of harvest. The flesh is stringy and resembles spaghetti when it is scooped out of the shell after cooking. In fact, we have found that it serves well as a pasta substitute and would be a good option for people who have dietary restrictions that eliminate pasta from their diet. Leftovers keep at least as well as normal pasta, though some of the substance is lost over time.

Walthum Butternut - Light tan fruit with thick necks, orange flesh and small seed cavities. Cylindrical in shape and averaging from 4 to 5 pounds. Fruit actually taste better after a couple of months of storage. Butternuts are the most widely known winter squash and are most likely the kind you have tasted if you have had squash before. Unlike other winter squash, these have solid stems and vines (c.moschata), thus they resist vine borers. These store well and routinely last until spring. We like to plant borage nearby to attract pollinators and beneficial predator bugs. If you plant a hedge of borage, it can be used to 'hem in' your vines. But, if you have a small garden, borage can get fairly large.

Amish Pie Pumpkin - this pumpkin is more of an eating pumpkin than a disply pumpkin - though it looks wonderful. We have found the flesh of this pumpkin makes superior pies and can be eaten just like any other squash. We have managed to store these for up to two months after harvest, though longer would not be a surprise. Fruits frequently hit the 10 to 15 pound range, with smaller at 5 pounds. These are slightly heart shaped and are light orange with cream mottling. This variety seems prone to crop failure, but we like it too much to give it up.

Howden Pumpkin - the standard 'jack o lantern' pumpkin. Defined ribs and deep orange color gives it the 'Halloween' look. Can get as large as 25 pounds, though they will range anywhere from 5 to 20 pounds typically. We do not recommend using Howden as an eating pumpkin as there are varieties that are much more appropriate for this. Again, we had a crop failure of this variety in 2005, but securing seed for 2006 will not be a problem.

Sibley Hubbard - An heirloom variety introduced in 1887 produces 8 to 10 pound fruits that have a slate blue colored skin. Fruit is approximately 8 inches in diameter and 10 inches long. The skin is very hard and the fruit will store very well. In fact, it is recommended that you wait until it has stored through the New Year for the best taste. We stuck with this cultivar largely because we just HAD to see how it tasted. Finally, in 2008, we managed to harvest a fine crop. Fruits DO store longer than other types. We still have some in April this year - even during a year when squash tended to store poorly. It is highly recommended that you interplant with this variety to reduce borer problems.

Table Queen - Introduced by the Iowa Seed Company in 1913, this variety is supposed to be descended from the Arikara tribe strain. This is an acorn type squash with dark green skin. Fruit are typically on the smaller side at 6 to 8 inches in length and tend to be pointed rather than rounded. Deep orange flesh and good for baking, especially for smaller size portions. A very good keeper. This is a reliable producer with minimal special effort. Plants survive weeds, borers and squash bugs. If you want something you can get something out of no matter what - this is one choice for you. Fruits store well enough in to December, but we don't recommend letting them go too long.

Boston Marrow - new introduction in 2008.


Galeaux d'Eysines - Also known as a "Bumpkin." We had limited success in 2007 with these but enjoyed the taste of the couple we tried. We suspect the wet August did prevented them from finishing for us. Each of the following years found us trying this squash again and having difficulty with cool, wet summers. We're going to give it one more go in 2010. We try to grow many varieties just in case the weather one year favors some kinds versus others. We suspect this one will do well in a warm dry year. Signs pointed to an excellent crop in 2007 until the heavy rains in the fall.

Kikuza - These are a smaller, pie pumpking / winter squash that have a very nice taste and are much more managable for those who have a smaller family. The skin is quite hard, thus these can easily serve as an Autumn harvest display until you are ready to cook them. These have worked well in a pie as well as fresh eating.

Long Island Cheese - This is probably our best pie pumpkin for overall quality. Production is more consistent than Amish Pie. Size is a bit more managable - with the largest approaching 10 lbs. The flesh is perfect for making pie filling. It isn't too stringy and is easy to work with. We still have a Long Island Cheese squash in the cellar in April, though it is looking a little rough. Clearly, these can last into early February with no issues.

Marina di Chioggia - We liken these to a very large buttercup squash. Drier flesh with a similar taste and consistency to buttercup - perhaps a bit nuttier in taste. We have found that insects do like to bore into these after we have harvested them and have them on the ground to cure. Thus, we now cure them off the ground. Size of fruit is variable, but quality of the flesh is uniform regardless of size. Decent for storing. Reliable to get some production nearly every year. Unlikely to get a tremendous number of fruit per plant. But, the quality of what you do get will leave you pleased.

Burgess Buttercup - If we were forced to choose one winter squash to grow, this is what we would select. Drier flesh is slightly nutty in flavor. Storage qualities are good, but we would not rate them as good at storage as butternut. We plant nasturium, borage and marigolds nearby and find that the losses to vine borers are reduced. In fact, we had 90% loss rates prior to planting these flowers nearby. Consider remay row covers until plants flower to exclude vine borers. Obviously, you need to take the covers off to allow pollination once flowers appear.

Musquee de Provence - A beautiful heirloom pumpkin/winter squash! Very bright orange flesh is excellent for pies and freezing. They have a slightly spicy flavor - not overpowering, just pleasantly so. Size of the fruit is highly variable and they must be watched carefully during a wet fall. Get them off the vine before the stem pulls off of the fruit during a wet year (like 2008). If the stem pulls off, process the fruit immediately or you will lose it. Vines aren't as susceptible to squash bugs and vine borers. But, the vines CAN wonder quite a bit from their hill.

Queensland Blue - new introduction in 2008.

Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato - This IS an acorn squash. It just has a cream colored skin. Size can be slightly bigger than standard green acorns such as Table Queen, but not much bigger. These vines are very hardy. Dry year - no problem, just get them started as seedlings. Wet year - it can do that. Cool year - ok as long as you get them in on time. Hot year - it doesn't really notice. From a production standpoint, we can't do better for an acorn squash. We also like the taste of these better than standard green acorn squash. We find them to be a little less stringy. We give them a four only because acorns are not our favorite. We've had them store into January, but don't expect it of all the fruit. Vines crawl around a bit, but not much more than average winter squash. Easy to pick - in part because the color makes it easier to see them. We don't lose much of these to pests or other problems.

Discontinued Cultivars

Bonbon Buttercup - Smooth, deep green skin on rounded fruit that has a grey button at the base. Flesh is yellow-orange colored and fruits average 4 to 5 pounds. A new hybrid by Johnny's that is touted to have better taste and yield. Taste is sweeter after a few weeks of storage (storage must be on the dry side).

Why did we drop it? - In 2006, we were able to only coax one fruit from our plants. Most were destroyed by a combination of borers, squash bugs and climatic conditions. We had better results in 2007 while interplanting with nasturtium and radish. However, we found the open-pollinated Burgess Buttercup did at least as well as Bonbon. When in doubt, we prefer to use open-pollinated varieties. We also suspect that many newer hybrids are not as hardy for the conditions we put our crops through. Unlike hybridization trials, our fields are not sprayed to control all pests, weeds do appear in our fields and we do not tend to use plastic mulch and drip irrigation. On the other hand, the fruit were quite tasty - and they tended to grow the fruit out entirely. The Burgess would sometimes stunt slightly. Bonbon tended to have more problems with insects boring through the skin of the fruit..

Scarlet Kabocha (Sunshine) - Small 1 to 2 pound fruits with bright orange skin and orange flesh. Smooth, sweet flesh is very tasty and a good meal for a couple of people (one fruit for two people). It can be used for baking, mashing or pies. Vines are shorter than many varieties, which might make it a good variety for people with less space to give for squash.

Why did we drop it? - These did a little better with the borers and other problems, yet produced only a half dozen fruits for us. We will say that they taste excellent. We are noting that they store for a shorter period than other varieties and that they don't change taste as they store - so are good to eat immediately. We feel we have found open pollinated varieties that will do better and have excellent taste qualities.

Australian Butter - Five to seven pound, blocky fruits. Flesh is very moist with average storage qualities.

Why did we drop it? - Production was no worse than any other heirloom pumpkin we have grown. However, they looked more like an orange buttercup, but didn't have the taste to encourage the comparison any further. While the taste was fine, but not outstanding - we combined that with poor storage and marginal production. As a result, we took it off of our production list. Perhaps these will work for someone else in a sandier location?

 

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updated 1/31/11