Growing Blue Hubbard Squash

Last spring when I was browsing a garden center, I came across a blue hubbard squash start.  I wasn't sure what blue hubbard squash was, but seeing on the tag it was an heirloom, I decided to give it a shot.

The plant I brought home was kind of spindly looking, but as summer progressed it slowly started to take off.  Eventually, it had a bulbous green squash growing.  I had to google the plant to find out more.  Turns out you harvest when the vines start to die.  Well, I had no idea that this squash was going to be BIG by the time the vines died back.  It didn't turn blue until a few weeks before harvest time.

So you use the blue hubbard squash just like you would a pumpkin.  I weighed this squash (I actually got a couple from the plant I put in) and it was 20 lbs. 12 ounces.  It was a proud gardening moment. 

So what we did was hack into the squash with a butcher knife.  Inside, it is similar to pumpkin.  It smelled wonderful.  I scooped out the seeds, saving some for next year.  You can roast the seeds too, but we did not do this.  I cut a bunch of large 6 inch sized chunks, put them on a baking sheet, and baked them for an hour at 375*.

I let them cool and then scooped out the flesh into a mixer and pureed it.  It made a wonderfully smooth puree.  I put it into freezer bags in 2 cup portions, and immediately made a delicious pumpkin bread using blue hubbard squash puree instead of the pumpkin.  In all, I got 14 cups of squash puree for the freezer.  And an extra large helping of squash rind for my compost bin.  And I still have to harvest the other blue hubbards!  Win win!

I'll be planting this in the garden again for next year.

Readers, have you ever seen a blue hubbard?