Squash

(Cucurbita pepo) We first learned of this Ukrainian summer squash when our friend Mary, farmer for the (now closed) acclaimed Willows Inn restaurant on nearby Lummi Island, asked us to help her find seed. The kitchen had grown fond of the variety for a dish they served, but the one...

(C. Pepo) A variety that needs little introduction, Yellow Crookneck has been in the commercial seed trade in the US for nearly 200 years and likely predates that by quite a bit. When we grew for fresh market, we’d display all our summer squashes mixed together and, without fail, someone...

(C. maxima) Bred for short-season production for the old Garden City Seeds of northern Montana, Bitterroot has earned its keep in our farm production. One of the more prolific varieties in the cooler seasons, it matures early and stores well. Like Kabocha, it is richer and flakier than the finer...

(C. maxima) When we grew for market, come fall, everyone would go gaga for the sweetness of the Delicata, the thick, rich flesh of the butternut, and the classic beauty of a stuffed acorn. We would quietly smile and nod, knowing we had a pile of kabocha at home to get...

(C. moschata) This small, bumpy, heavily ribbed Japanese squash is gaining in popularity, showing up at more and more farmers markets and produce departments, and for good reason. Fairly early for a moschata family squash, it has a very smooth, fine-grained flesh and a fruity flavor at harvest that lends...

(C. moschata) This is an important entrant in the short-season butternut category. Many of us in the cooler north who cannot mature the classic Waltham types are always on the lookout for a reliable shorter-season producer. We think Butterbush fits the bill. Very compact bushes are a boon to space-constrained...

(C. maxima) Lower Salmon River carries a connection here in the PNW to both its namesake region of Idaho in the interior mountain west and to the Puget Sound, where the old Abundant Life Seed Foundation maintained and attempted to popularize the variety to northwest growers. While its popularity among...

(C. maxima) Kabocha has long been among our very favorite winter squashes with its flakey, nutty, rich orange flesh and medium size that can be used up in a single meal. Marine Grey has been an on-again, off-again breeding project of ours for nearly a decade. We originally sought to...

(C. maxima) When it comes to winter keepers, Sweet Meat is a northwest classic. Sweet, thick, dry flesh makes for excellent pies, soups, and just plain delicious eating! An excellent keeper known to stick around and improve in storage for upwards of 6-7 months. Originally bred by the Gill Brothers...

(C. maxima) The perfect squash for a pot of simmering savory soup (say that 3 times!) on a chilly evening, Potimarron is laced with a touch of chestnut flavor and a delicate, creamy, but flakey texture. A famous French heirloom, meaning “Pumpkin” (potiron), and “Chestnut” (marron), we first grew these...

(C. pepo) This great strain of Delicata has been worked on and maintained by the fine folks of Wild Garden Seed. By far our most popular winter squash at the market, it has fabulously sweet and moist flesh, and is great roasted and for pies. At about a pound each,...

(C. maxima) The city of Mantova, in the province of Lombardy in Northern Italy, is a picturesque center of culture and cuisine. The surrounding plains stretching across the Po river valley into Emilia Romagna form much of the northern bread basket of Italy, home to many of the famous Italian...

(C. pepo) We are odd enough here at Uprising to hold a blind zucchini taste-off, and I don’t recall Costata ever being unseated from the top spot (which perhaps ultimately begs the question, why do we continue to do this?) While its light green color and prominently ribbed fruit might...

(C. pepo) Market growers take note. Here is a zuke to rival all the corporate-owned hybrids currently hijacking the zucchini market. Bred by Bill Reynolds of Eel River Produce in Northern CA & John Navazio from a cross between an old OP and Raven, a dark green hybrid from the...