Why You Should Plant Blue Hubbard Squash

Last year I planted one blue hubbard squash start in the garden.  I didn't know anything about this type of heirloom squash, but had picked it up at a garden center and wanted to try something new.  It grew some of the ugliest squashes I had ever seen.  Bulbous.  When they fully mature, they turn a weird gray color and are massive in size.  Most of mine reached 20+ pounds.  I was a little scared of the first one, but was delighted when I tasted the creamy flavor.

The blue hubbard squash stores very well in the winter.  I put mine in the basement in September, after a brief cure in the sun.  I just roasted my last one.  It was just as firm as the day I picked it, even after six months of storage.  And when I cut into it....glorious rich orange and just as much flavor as the ones I roasted last fall.

Blue hubbards produce a lot of food!  I roasted this last squash at 375* for 45 minutes, then put all the flesh in a blender to make puree.  I filled up one 2 quart casserole dish to make as a side for dinner, and then froze another 10 cups of puree.  The shell went into the compost bin.  I always save some seeds to use for next year. 

I like to use the purees to make my version of pumpkin bread.  Or maybe I should call it hubbard bread.  You can find the recipe HERE - just sub hubbard squash puree for the cushaw squash.  This time, I cooked the bread in my sun oven.  It does a nice job baking breads - they just turn out slightly crooked because of the angle I have to put the oven on to maximize the sun exposure. 

The blue hubbard squash is win/win - you get a ton of food, it stores for a very long time, and it has excellent flavor.  You only have to buy it once - it's an heirloom so you can reuse the seeds from year to year.  If you haven't grown this before, it's my top recommendation for you to try in 2016.  Happy planting!