Pumpkins and squash are indigenous to the Americas, and they were a huge part of the diets of many native cultures and early European settlers. High in vitamin A, potassium, beta-carotene and fiber, the long storability of these crops made them an important food staple, especially during the winter months. Today, we use these members of the Cucurbita genus as decorations as much as we use them as food. What Are Hubbard Squash One of my favorite species of the squash and pumpkin family is Curcurbita maxima.
This species consists of the biggest fruited members of the family, including my all-time favorite winter squash , the Hubbard. Hubbard squashes have thick rinds and a teardrop shape. Blue Hubbards have blue-gray skin, while golden Hubbards have bright-orange skin. Each Hubbard squash can weigh between 10 and 40 pounds, and their orange flesh is sweet and nutty, tasting a bit like sweet potato.
Once the flower falls off the fruit will be forming you can remove the bag. Tie some wool around the stem so in the fall you will know which squashes have been hand pollinated, and will reproduce the following year, just as good as the previous year.
Good luck! There are some excellent seed saving books out there. Easiest to save are beans, tomatoes and peas. Also, I have read elsewhere that winter squash should be cured at 85 degrees and stored at 55, and that temps below 50 will shorten shelf life.
One source says that leaving them on the vine below 50 will shorten shelf life. Yes, your research matches recommendations by winter squash growers at the University of Illinois: cure winter squash at F for 10 days and store at F.
Remove winter squash from the garden before the first hard freeze or you risk losing your crop. Clarification on the Buttercup x Hubbard cross.
Last year, the only maximas I planted were vining Buttercups and Blue Hubbards, I planted the crosses this year, If the mother fruit was Hubbard, the result produced small Hubbards. If the mother was Buttercup, what I got was huge at least double normal sized , paler-colored Buttercup-shaped squash, with no button, but rather a flattened Hubbard type end.
Apparently, the father controls the size. I wonder which more influences the flavor. Complicates matters, but planting the various results should be interesting. Next time I will do controlled crosses.
Thanks for your note on your very interesting crosses. Keep us posted! Any gardeners doing crosses, please let us know. One of my uncrossed Blue Hubbards is now 32 lbs, beautiful ribbed football shape.
It is still on the vine, but stopped growing at least a couple of weeks ago. The rind is hard, and the stem is mostly corked, but the plant is very alive and the stem shows some remaining green streaks. There are still several weeks until frost is likely. I sure would hate to compromise its eating or keeping quality by shortening its time maturing and curing on the vine.
Your Blue Hubbard sounds mature and ready for picking—if the skin is dull and dry instead of shiny and smooth and if the rind cannot be punctured by your thumbnail then the squash is ready for harvest. Perhaps you can take it to the fair and then eat it—it will do some curing while it is hosting the Blue Ribbon!
Can I cut a Hubbard Squash into chunks and freeze for roasting later? I do not want to puree it. Peel the squash and cut it into chunks—whatever size you like. Spread the pieces on a baking sheet—in a single layer—and place in the freezer.
You can roast the frozen chunks—without thawing them first—this winter or add them directly to stews. You can also thaw them before using. Generally, you can plant winter squashes in Florida between January in the south and February in the north.
Today, June 27th, we cracked the last Blue Hubbard we had from last year. Because of our cold climate here in Finland, km north of Helsinki, we took it inside at the end of september and it has been stored at a temperature of 15 — 18 degrees Celcius. Today the weight of it was 11,3 kg, and it was in perfect condition.
It will now be baked in the oven so that we can use its flesh further on in pumpkin pies , as soup base etc. The year before we had five Hubbards from two plants and the average weight was approx. I picked two mature blue Hubbard squash. Can I store them in the frig for a couple of weeks before cooking?
What you describe would be normal; that is you cut through the outer skin before you reached the fleshy interior. I ate a delicious blue Hubbard last fall and dumped the seeds into my garden in Phoenix Arizona. Much to my surprise and delight the seeds germinated and vines started to spread. Now it is June with plus degree days and the vines are continuing to grow and I see at least 15 small hubbards ranging in color from blue to orange. Seeds should germinate in days.
Sow 3 seeds in each spot where you want a plant to grow, and thin to the strongest plant. Growing Ideal pH: 6. These big plants need lots of food. Use 1 cup of complete organic fertilizer worked into the soil beneath each plant. All squash grow male flowers first, at later female flowers. The female flowers have tiny fruits at the base of their petals and require pollination by bees mostly. Incomplete pollination often happens at the beginning of the season, and results in misshapen fruits that are withered at the blossom end.
Just discard these damaged fruits before they begin to rot. Encourage bees to visit the garden by growing Phacelia, sunflowers, or buckwheat for improved pollination. Harvest Summer Squash: Pick when small, if fruit gets big the plant stops producing. Check the plants regularly. Squash survive a light frost, but store better if harvested before frost.
Storage: Field-cure for 10 days in the sun, or cure indoors in a warm room for 4 or 5 days. A standard Hubbard squash can grow to weigh pounds. Baby Blue Hubbard squash is great for gardens with space limitations or for smaller households, as the fruits only grow to about 6 pounds.
The skin is blue and the flesh is golden-yellow with great flavor. Winter squash is native to South America where it was first domesticated.
Native Americans have been growing squash for many thousands of years.
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