Squash, Lower Salmon River

Cucurbita maxima

A delicious big beauty of an Idaho-bred winter squash! 

This sultry and long-keeping winter squash is right at home in our bioregion. Its salmon-colored skin with teal undertones pleases the eyes and its flaky, dry, sweet flesh satisfies the ole belly. Useful for a wide-ranging variety of cooking techniques--we love it for everything from pancakes to soup, muffins to pickling. Rare open-pollinated variety grows fruits that average 5-15 pounds! Dig in!

Squashes are a part of the vast agricultural and culinary legacy of this continent, with indigenous seedkeepers in modern-day Mexico and Central America cultivating some types at least 10,000 years ago. Along with their sisters corn and beans, they spread throughout the western hemisphere through the loving care of Native Americans and by the time European colonizers arrived on the continent, many varieties of squash were being grown by farmers from the southwest to the northeast. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the original stewards of the nutrient-packed, long-keeping, healthy-seed-spawning miracle that is a squash! 

Seeds grown by Affinity Farm in Moscow, Idaho.

10 seeds

Directions: Direct seed after last frost, when soil has warmed, or start indoors3-5 weeks before transplanting. Be gentle with the roots if transplanting. Either plant 2-3 plants per hill, with 6’ between hills, or plant in rows 3’ apart.  

For optimal keeping qualities, be mindful of the stem when harvesting to keep it intact. Let fruits sun-ripen for a week to ten days once harvested, but do not allow them to freeze while sun ripening. Can store close to a year with proper conditions (around 50 degrees F, around 70% humidity). Do not pile winter squash when storing long-term.