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Winter Squash   updated for 2024

Butternut Types

All of this group are  basically tan skinned when ripe and have very nice, deep orange flesh high in carotene. As a group they need a warmer growing season to do the best and they are very tolerant of most diseases and insects especially vine borer tolerance. For seed saving purposes all of these are Cucurbita moschata

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Alagold

Alagold- 120 days-  A very prolific butternut type.  Deep orange flesh.  Very sweet and flavorful.  This is an incredible butternut type that keeps for along period of time.  Pkt. $2.50

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Butternut Rugosa

Butternut Rugosa- 120 days a very large and wrinkly butternut with very good flavor. Pkt. ( 15 seeds) $3.00

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Baby Butternut

Baby Butternut- 105 days-  Good sized vines, heavy production of 6 to 8 inch fruit.  Dr. Meader and Dr. Yeager  introduction from New Hampshire in the 1950’s.   Pkt. $3.00 Certified Organic Seed. Limit 1 packet

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Canadai Mezoides

Canadai Mezoides- 100 days- We have been very impressed  with this variety since Nancy Arrowsmith first sent it to us from Austria close to 30 years ago. A short, uniform butternut type that frequently stays green until  put into storage. Keeps well and has deep, rich orange flesh  The issue is the fruits produce very few seeds.  Plants show remarkable resistance to Powdery Mildew. In 2019 we planted the variety on July 10 and picked the deep green fruits on October 10. Ripened slowly in storage by mid January. I personally find it too sweet.  Pkt. $2.50  Certified Organic Seed.

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Hercules Butternut

Hercules Butternut- 100 days-  Not entirely uniform in shape, but produces some very large sized butternut squash.  Pkt. $2.50

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Piena di Napoli

Piena di Napoli- 120 days- A very late and very large butternut type. Frequently over 50 pounds. They rarely if ever turn tan in the field here, but are a deep green when picked and ripen in storage. Flesh is solid in the very large neck and a deep orange .  Pkt. $2.50 Certified Organic seed

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Pennsylvania Dutch Crookneck

Pennsylvania Dutch Crookneck- 100 days- a smaller more refined looking Tahitian melon type. Pkt. $2.00 Certified Organic Seed

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Tahitian Melon

Tahitian Melon- 110 days -  A sweeter, longer necked version of Butternut.  Cooked flesh is not stringy and excellent to use for “Pumpkin Pie”. This is Linda’s favorite for making pumpkin pie. Fruit can get to 20 pounds in good years.  Pkt. $2.00  Certified Organic Seed

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Trombocino Rampicante

Trombocino Rampicante- 100 days-Long, skinny, curved fruits.  Typically used in the immature stage (with flower still intact).  Fruits can be up to 6 inches long when the flower opens (much larger than most other squash).  As they age and mature use them as a butternut.   Some variability  in fruit shape occurs. Pkt. $3.00

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Tromba D'Albenga

Tromba D'Albenga- 100 days-Long, skinny, curved fruits when not trellised.  Typically used in the immature stage (with flower still intact).    As they age and mature use them as a butternut.   Some variability  in fruit shape occurs. Pkt. $2.00

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Trombone

Trombone- 110 days-  Can produce two distinct shapes, but primarily is a huge butternut type averaging 30 to 40 pounds.  Fruits tend to be green at harvest and ripen to a pale tan in storage.    Pkt $2.50 Certified Organic Seed

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Waltham Butternut

Waltham Butternut- 110 days-  Traditional butternut-type with tan skin. Very uniform  in size and shape.   Pkt. $1.50

Cheese Types

 A group that is perhaps the most heirloom group we offer  as most of these can trace their history back a number of years. They usually are large and  have a tan skin and orange flesh. In many cases they were used when families were large and for stock feed. All in this group are Cucurbita moschata

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Cow

Cow- 110 days- cheese type, orange flesh.  Originally developed for  stock feeding, but good for pies.  We had many 40-60 pounders in 2021.  Pkt. $2.00 Certified Organic Seed

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Dickinson

Dickinson -  115 days -    A nice, blocky, oblong cheese type.  Fruits are a buffy tan, slightly ribbed and grow to 40 pounds.  Flesh is sweet, orange and excellent for pies.  Pkt. $2.00  Certified Organic Seed

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Gray

Gray- 100 days-   Early, productive, blocky cheese type.  Medium orange flesh, in the 10 to 15 pound range for the fruits.  Pkt. $2.00 Certified Organic Seed.

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Kimsey-Stephens Heirloom

Kimsey-Stephens Heirloom-  115 days- an amazing heirloom sent to us by a customer in Georgia. We planted 2 hills in an isolation garden and got almost 2000 pounds of fruit. Most weighed in between 40-50 pounds. As with all old types some shape variability from  large pear to  thick ribbed blocky cheese types. Productivity  per acre would be phenomenal.  Flesh is pale orange and very thick.  Linda made our Thanksgiving pumpkin pies from a small part of one fruit. Excellent stock pumpkin. Our pigs, sheep, cow and poultry devoured the seeded out  fruits.  Pkt. $2.00 Certified Organic Seed UNAVAILABLE FOR 2024

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Mrs. Amerson’s

Mrs. Amerson’s- 120 days-  Produces two distinct shapes.  Flesh is bright orange, has superb insect and disease resistance.  Pkt. $1.75 Certified Organic Seed

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Old Time Buff Cow

Old Time Buff Cow- 100 days- Large (20 pounds and up), old fashioned oblong cheese type squash.  Pkt. $2.00 Certified Organic Seed

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Old Timey Cornfield

Old Timey Cornfield- 110 days-   Old fashioned Southern heirloom, Tan skin, 15 to 30 pounds.  George McLaughlin sent  us this one which basically is a large  “Halloween pumpkin shape” but there are variable shaped ones. Pkt. $2.00 Certified Organic Seed

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Seminole

Seminole- 110 days-  Vigorous vines, very productive, slightly bell-shaped, 6 to 8 inch sized fruits, buffy tan outside, orange inside.  Pkt. $2.50  Certified Organic Seed

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Sweet Red

100 days. Obtained in the early days of the Seed Savers Exchange  one that I always thought was worthy but  always gave me fits when I went to hand pollinate to get pure seed. It is one of those that does not hand pollinate well. I found a few seeds in the freezer from 1987 and sent them to Annalissa in California and she got them to grow and pronounced this the tops of squash for eating and it survives her insect and disease issues of the year around growing season quite well. Fruit ripens tan as it matures. Pkt. $2.00  .

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Tan Cheese

Tan Cheese- 125 days- 5 pound, flat cheese type, thin ribs with cantaloupe orange 1.5” thick flesh.  Pkt. $2.50  Certified Organic Seed 

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Upper Ground Sweet Potato

Upper Ground Sweet Potato - 110   days   -  Extremely high yields even in poor soil and harsh conditions.  Tan colored skin, bell shaped for the most part, 4 to 6 pound fruits, some larger, nice orange flesh.  Some shape variations can be blocky, cheese box  with an occasional longer necked, bell shaped, tan skin.   Pkt. $2.75  Certified Organic Seed

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Warty Cheese

Warty Cheese- 120 days-  Large, blocky, warty cheese box shaped, tan skin, 30-40 pounds in size with thick orange flesh. UNAVAILABLE FOR 2024

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Wisconsin Cheese

100 days- A nice blocky tan skinned cheese type. Flesh makes excellent material for cooking and pies. Pkt. $2.00  Certifed Organic Seed

ACORN TYPES

All of this group are typically the same shape and are relatively small compared to some we grow. As a group these are less tolerant to vine borers and many of them will succumb to mildew in wet, cool seasons. All in this group are Cucurbita pepo

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Ebony Acorn

Ebony Acorn - 90 days - Productive, green-black acorn squash.  Fruits average 1.5 to 2 pounds.  Pkt. $1.50

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Fishers Acorn

Fishers Acorn- 70 days- a development by the late Ken Fisher of Montana. On my trips back to Idaho each summer after moving to Iowa in 1984 I always hoped to get a chance to meet him as I traveled through his town  but alas each year our schedules never matched up and I was never successful. He developed a lot of material for short seasons and we are trying to get more of it back out to the public.  This one can produce some very large acorn type fruit in very quick time. Tends to produce 2 sizes  of fruits. Pkt. $2.50 Certified Organic Seed

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Fordhook

Fordhook- 80 days- the most productive squash ever. Seems to produce a fruit at every node . Flavor is only mediocre  at harvest but can also be used in the young stage as a summer squash.  When I  first baked it last October shortly after harvest it did not seem flavorful at all. In early February when I seeded out the remainder of the crop I  noticed the flesh had changed to. slightly darker yellow pale orange and so decided to try again and unlike most acorns which don't keep well and flavor goes down in storage then the flavor went up and 90% of the fruit were still in excellent shape stored in large  bushel basket like containers just thrown in. A very old variety. Pkt. $1.50 Certified Organic Seed.

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Gill’s Golden Pippin

Gill’s Golden Pippin- 95 days -    A vining, golden acorn from the old Gill Bros. Seed Co.  Excellent growth and productivity.  Flesh is unbelievably superb for an acorn type.  I typically don’t like acorn squash because they are too blah.  Gill’s has a sweet (almost nutty) flavor that makes you go, “Yum!!!”  It was prominently featured in Gill Bros. 1960 catalog and justly deserves the honor that it received at that time.  I do not understand why it ever dropped out of large scale, commercial production. Good news, it is now being offered by large wholesale firms and has returned to the main stream again.   Pkt. $2.50 Certified Organic Seed

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Scarchuks Supreme

Scarchuks Supreme- 83 days- Developed by Dr. Scarchuk at University of Connecticut, Delicata color pattern (cream striped with green).  This variety is superior.  Each year reminds me of what Dr. Scarchuk was working on, vine borer resistance.  It does much better than most Acorn types.  Pkt. $2.00  Certified Organic Seed

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Thelma Sander’s Sweet Potato

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Thelma Sander’s Sweet Potato- 90 days- Acorn type, vining.  Fruits are a cream color with golden yellow flesh.  Heirloom from Missouri.  Pkt. $1.75 Certified Organic Seed

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Uconn

Uconn- 86 days-  Bush, fist sized and larger, productive acorn.  Very high yields for a bush type. UNAVAILABLE FOR 2023

White Acorn

White Acorn

White Acorn- 75 days-   A sport selection I made in the early 1980’s.  Plants are bush type, productive, producing snow white (occasional cream) fruits.  Very mild flavor. Pkt. $3.00  Certified Organic Seed OSSI pledged seed variety

Winter Squash: Hubbard Types

While all that I have included here are not hubbards they are all large, blocky shaped  squash. Usually as a group they have large and rampant vines and do better than most other squash in cooler mountain climates. These were tops where I lived in the mountains of Idaho for yield and flavor. Here in the Midwest they grow well but frequently succumb to vine borers and here the flavor isn’t quite the same.  All are Cucurbita maxima

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Argentine

Argentine- 100 days-  Gray-green, ribbed fruits.  Flesh is dark orange (almost brown) , dry and very sweet.   This one handles the insects much better than others. Pkt. $2.00 Certified Organic Seed

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Arikara

Arikara- 70 days-    While not resistant to vine borers, it shows huge tolerances plus it can be planted so late and still make a crop.  Flesh is sweet, soft (but stringy) and very moist, similar to a Hubbard.  When blended in a blender it becomes extremely smooth (excellent for baby food and soup).  Skin is pink and hard shelled.  Some soils cause a slight bluish tint to the fruit skin.  (An old Oscar Will variety)Pkt. $3.00 Certified Organic Seed

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Boston Marrow

Boston Marrow- 95 days-  A very historical type (dating to 1831).  Deep red orange skin, very moist, yellow orange flesh. Fruits can get quite large 30 pound is possible. Pkt. $3.00    Certified Organic Seed

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German

German- 87 days-   Block shaped, pink skin with slight ribs, very productive plants.  Fruit weighs 10 to 15 pounds.  Flesh is 1.5” thick.  Pkt. $2.50 Certified Organic Seed

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Gill’s Sugar Hubbard

Gill’s Sugar Hubbard- 95 days-     A cross the Gill Bros. Seed Co. made many years ago between Sweetmeat and True Hubbard.  Flesh is golden and moist.  Skin is a slate grey in color.  Fruits may get up to 40 pounds.  Pkt $2.50 Limit 1 packet

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Golden Hubbard

Golden Hubbard- 90 days-  A nice, early, red orange hubbard.  Usually stays in the 8 to 15 pound range.  Once very common, but now is rare.  Does exceptionally well in the West.  Pkt. $2.00

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Hopi Pale Grey

Hopi Pale Grey-  95 days  Blocky pale grey skin with slight ribbing, orange yellow flesh.   I taste tested this one in comparison to others and while the flesh appears  slightly stringy  it is remarkably flavorful and sweet. Pkt. $3.00 Certified Organic Seed

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 Little Gem

Little Gem- 70 days-   A golden red hubbard that grows super fast and produces lots of 8-12 pound fruit. We planted these in isolation at a friends around mid June and they were mature in mid August. When my vine crop collection of varieties got to well over 1000  back in 2007 I could no longer keep up with all of the hand pollinations and turned most over to Seed Savers for them to care for it. A recording error took place and Mountaineer got mixed name wise with Little Gem. I was fortunate enough to get  a real start of Mountaineer and will have it for 2024. I thought my memory was failing me when I grew this one out  and thanks to Bill Ninman for helping me locate the real thing. Pkt. $2.00 Certified Organic Seed

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Potimarron a Gros Fruit

Potimarron a Gros Fruit -  A wonderful Red Kuri type though slightly larger.  Very productive and beautiful orange red.   Pkt. $3.00

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Red Kuri

Red Kuri - 95 days - Nice, bright orange red skin, orange flesh. Fruit are 3 to 5 pounds and a tear drop mini hubbard shape.  Pkt. $2.50

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Silver Bell

Silver Bell- 95 days - Nice, pale grey miniature productive blue hubbard, orange flesh. Fruit are 3 to 5 pounds and a tear drop mini hubbard shape.  Pkt. $2.50

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Sibley

Sibley- 110 days-  (aka Pikes Peak)  Elongated tear drop shaped grey green hubbard type.  Introduced in 1898.  Pkt. $2.00

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Sweet Fall

Sweet Fall- 95 days- another variety that was lost to the freezer storage when I got overwhealmed and then grew out this past year. The flavor is outstanding .Pkt. $3.00 Certified Organic Seed

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Warted Green Hubbard

Warted Green Hubbard-    A wonderful old, very tasty heirloom that yields well, better in the Northwest and mountain regions than here, but you can still expect nice, 30 pound squash.  Thick, sweet flesh.  Pkt.  $1.75

Winter Squash: Turban Types

All of the ones in this group are flattened with a drum like appearance , some will have a button or cup. For the most part these are all on the drier fleshed side.  Most  have sweet orange flesh. All are Cucurbita maxima

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Australian Butter

Australian Butter - 100 days -   A very attractive, pink, buttercup type that weighs around 10 pounds.  The flesh is dry and semi-sweet.  (15 seeds)  Pkt. $3.50  Certified Organic Seed   UNAVAILABLE FOR 2024

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Berrentina Piacentina

Berrentina Piacentina - 100 days -   A very thick fleshed non turban type buttercup  that weighs around 10 pounds.  The flesh is dry and semi-sweet.  (15 seeds)  Pkt. $3.00

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Burgess Buttercup

Burgess Buttercup- 95 days - Traditional buttercup type,  dry fleshed, dark green with off-green cup (bottom) at blossom end.  Pkt. $2.00

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Doe

Doe - 95 days -   An Essex Turban type, orange, semi-warty, cupless UNAVAILABLE FOR 2024

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Essex Turban

Essex Turban- 100 days -  Very large, orange red, warty Buttercup type.  Best suited for its beauty as the flesh is pale orange, very moist and somewhat bland.  Fruits are very eye catching and may be used for decoration in the Fall. Pkt. $2.50

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Flat White Boer

Flat White Boer - 105 days -    Flat, wheel like squash with white skin. Flesh is deep orange, sweet, very firm and very dry.  Flesh is so firm it maintains its structure after being cooked. Occasional off-types can be seen.  Pkt. $2.50 

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Galeux D-Eysines (Peanut)

Galeux D-Eysines (Peanut)-  100 days -- Originate in France, pink skinned flattened globe that gets wartier as it ages.  Ornamental, yet good for cooking.  Pkt. $2.50

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Jarrahdale

Jarrahdale- 107 days- Australian variety that is very ribbed, blocky, drum shaped, slate blue in color, averaging 15 to 20 pounds.  Moist, very sweet, semi-soft flesh. Pkt. $2.50  Certified Organic Seed

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Kindred

Kindred- 90 days -  Nicely colored deep orange skin, buttercup type with a greenish white cup.  Flesh is thick, dark colored and very dry.  Seed cavity is small. Pkt. $2.50 Certified Organic Seed

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Marina di Chioggia

Marina di Chioggia - 110 days - Very warty, ribby, deep slate blue, yellow/orange flesh.  Vines get very vigorous and cover a large area. Pkt. $2.75

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Queensland Blue

Queensland Blue- 125 days -  Beautiful, slate blue-grey, drum shaped with ribbing.  Pkt. $3.00  Certified Organic Seed

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Strawberry Crown

Strawberry Crown- 90 days -  Small, 6 pound fruit, brownish grey bicolor, blushed with salmon pink.   Originated in Brazil.  Pkt. $3.00

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Sweetmeat

Sweetmeat- 95 days-   Dry, sweet flesh.  Fruits are gray-green, cheese wheel shaped, 8 to 12 pounds in size.  A Pacific Northwest favorite.  Pkt. $1.50

Winter Squash: Banana Types

This has always been one of my favorite groups. They did so well where I lived in Idaho  and I  remember the huge 100 pound plus sized Pink Bananas that used to be exhibited at the Nez Perce County Fair. They never get as big here in Iowa and the flavor is not as I remember it,  but they are still  a great addition to the garden.  The big issue here is they succumb easily to vine borers. All are Cucurbita maxima.

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American Indian

One of the old types possibly the same as Winnebago in the old Oscar Will seed catalog. A nice sweet very squash tasting variety that does well. Pkt. $2.50 Certified Organic Seed.  UNAVAILABLE FOR 2024

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Big Red

100 days- A variety selected for darker orange fruits, but always throws an occasional pink sport. This one is a big one. We had some 70 pound fruit in 2019. We originally got this one from the  Nichols Seed company back in the late 1970's. Another one that kind of slipped away from me and I  found a packet from 1987 in the freezer and decided to rejuvenate it in 2019 and  wow did it do well. The one in picture went all the way across the bed of my 4 wheel drive pickup. LIMIT 1 PACKET Pkt. $2.50 Certified Organic Seed.

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Georgia Candyroaster

Georgia Candyroaster - Fruits nearly 2 feet long, orange skin and sweet flesh, long vining.  Fruit looks like a large banana. Pkt. $3.00 ( 15 seeds) Certified Organic Seed

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Guatemalan Blue

Guatemalan Blue- 105 days-  A long-time favorite of mine.  Slate grey fruits are a medium size for banana squash.  Flesh has a particular flavor that is fabulous.  Pkt. $3.50  Certified Organic Seed

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Hillbilly

100 days.Early on in the days of the Seed Savers Exchange I was an avid collector of squash varieties and this one was sent  to me by the president of the American Gourd Society. I  was always amazed at how large they could get. It mostly is a large very plumpy pink banana type but fruit can get a bluish cast.  I have seen fruit get 80 pounds. Another rescued packet from 1987 that has been in the freezer. We are thankful to Annalissa  in  California for growing this one out and saving it from extinction. Pkt. $2.00

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Jumbo Pink Banana

Jumbo Pink Banana- 100 days-  Large, pink skinned fruits with excellent quality flesh (moist and sweet).  While they never get as big here in the Midwest due to the insects and disease, I’ve seen specimens top 100 pounds when I lived out West.  Pkt. $1.50

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North Georgia Candyroaster

North Georgia Candyroaster- 105 days-  Vigorous vines, shortened, pink banana squash.   Heavy production. Pkt. $2.50    Certified Organic Seed 

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Rainbow

Rainbow -  A wonderful, small banana squash, pinkish with blue streaks. Developed by University of Minnesota in the 1950’s. Great flavor and easy to use size.  This one surprised me in 2017  planted July 3 it showed no signs of insect damage and produced abundantly.  Pkt. $3.00 Certified Organic Seed 

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Swedish Banana

Swedish Banana -  Medium sized, typically 15 to 30 pounds, prolific, banana type, deep orange flesh, pinkish orange skin.   Pkt. $3.00  Certified Organic Seed

Winter Squash: Cushaws and Related

This is the best group for gardeners who have lots of insect issues and also have a drier climate with less than reliable moisture and or high heat.  While they are a challenge in cool seasons, they do well here in the Midwest. Flesh tends to be pale yellow. Vines can go in many directions. All are Cucurbita mixta.

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Apache Giant

Apache Giant  95 days, large  greenish neckless cushaw. It does produce white fruits with some neck. I like growing these for the animals, the sheep and poultry love them. The disease and insect tolerance is amazing. It also handles drought very well.  Pkt. $2.00  Certified Organic Seed SOLD OUT  FOR 2024

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Big White Crookneck

Big White Crookneck- 110 days, large necked white cushaw.  Pkt. $3.00  Certified Organic Seed UNAVAILABLE FOR 2024

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Black Sweet Potato

Black Sweet Potato- 120 days- Blockier version of Green Striped Cushaw only paler in color.  Some fruits will be dark green and others green striped.  Pkt. $1.50  Certified Organic Seed

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Campeche

Campeche- 110 days-  Smaller sized fruits, silver seeded type. Fruits are grey green striped, very seedy with large seeds.  Very productive, excellent for poultry feed. Pkt. $1.50 Certified Organic Seed

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Gila Cliff Dweller

Gila Cliff Dweller - 100 days -  Large, white skinned with greenish cast streaks.  Fruits can get to 40 pounds.  Heirloom from the Southwest.  Pkt. $3.00  Certified Organic Seed

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Gold Striped Cushaw

Gold Striped Cushaw- 100 days-  Beautiful, golden lemon yellow cushaw. Very decorative  and productive  Pkt. $1.75  Certified Organic Seed

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Green Striped Cushaw

Green Striped Cushaw - 95 days- A very old type, that does suffer more insect damage here than others, but does yield quite heavily.  Pkt. $1.75  Certified Organic Seed 

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Hindu

Hindu- 100 days-  A large, bell-shaped cushaw.  Pkt. $1.50  Certified Organic Seed

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Hopi Cushaw

Hopi Cushaw- 120 days-  A true cushaw shape, mottled orange and shades of green.  Pkt. $1.50  Certified Organic Seed

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Illinois White Crookneck

Illinois White Crookneck- 110 days - a large white  cushaw that does well in the heat.  Pkt. $2.00 Certified Organic Seed

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Japanese Pie

Japanese Pie- 90 days-    Hard shelled, large, thick stems.  Seeds have distinct markings (like Japanese caricatures).  Flesh is excellent when fried (see above recipe).  Pkt. $2.00   Certified Organic Seed

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Jonathan

Jonathan- 100 days -  Large, white straightneck cushaw.  Pale flesh.  Excellent for White Pumpkin pie.  Does extremely well in drought conditions.  Some occasional greenish striped sports can occur.  Pkt. $2.00  Certified Organic Seed

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Mexican Wild White Cushaw

90 days- a variety that was sent to me having been gathered in the rural parts of Mexico. I planted it in a very sandy isolation plot and it did well in low fertility and low water environment. It seemed to stay almost dormant during a dry spell and then once rain came it sprung to life and rapidly produced some 6 to 8 pound bell shaped white skinned pale fleshed squash.   Pkt. $2.00 Certified Organic Seed

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Mexican Wild Green Cushaw

Mexican Wild Green Cushaw- 90 days-  extremely productive . In 2020 I planted it on July 6 and was treated with  an abundance of fruit. Flesh is of low quality as it is primarily grown for the huge production of large silver edged seeds that are high in nutrition and a favorite of the livestock I raise. Pkt. $2.00 Certified Organic Seed

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San Fernando Feral

San Fernando Feral- 99 days-  Mottled green stripes, creamy tan background, medium yellow flesh, 10 pound average.  Pkt. $1.75  Certified Organic Seed

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San Juan Pueblo

San Juan Pueblo- 110 days-An interesting pale tan  colored cushaw. It has darker colored flesh than most cushaws and looks almost like a moschata- mixta intergrade., having many traits of both species. Ripened fruit have a high moisture content in the seed cavity. Reminds one of muskmelon with moisture  around the seeds. Fruit averages about 10 pounds. Pkt. $2.50 Certified Organic Seed

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Silver Edge

Silver Edge- 110 days-  Grown for the seeds mostly because the flesh is low quality.  Superb for poultry.  Seeds are large white with a bluish silver edge.  Pkt. $2.00  Certified Organic Seed

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Tennessee Sweet Potato

Tennessee Sweet Potato- 90 days- Dates to 1847.  This variety kept me trying from year to year as a child. In the mountains of Idaho, I tried all of the tricks I knew. With the cool season the best I could do was golf ball size immature fruits.  It matures with ease here. I spent years trying to get a fruit mature enough to taste.  It is rather bland, but of great historical significance.  It can survive a lot of neglect here in the Midwest and still produce a good crop.  Pkt. $1.50  Certified Organic Seed

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Thick Margin Silver Seed

Thick Margin Silver Seed - 100 days - nice large fruited type with large seeds with a silver rim.  Best used for seeds and stock feed.  Heavy producer.  Pkt. $2.00  Certified Organic Seed

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White Hopi Cushaw

95 days-rather quick maturing and heavy producing. Produces 2 distinct fruit types, a bell shaped and a long necked typical cushaw type. Flesh is light colored and fruit averages between 10 and 20 pounds. Pkt. $2.00 Certified Organic Seed.

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Winter Vining

Winter Vining- 109 days-  Green striped cushaw with thick, mottled stripes, slight crookneck, yellow flesh.   Pkt. $1.50  Certified Organic See

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Woodrey's Sweet Potato

Woodrey's Sweet Potato- 95 days. Back in 1980 whenI first joined the Seed Savers Exchange, many older members sent me their special seeds and such to preserve for  the future. Minerva was one of those people. She was from Tennessee and was so proud of her collection. This cushaw type is  very  productive and has several bell like shapes. Pkt. $2.50 Certified Organic Seed)

Winter Squash: Pumpkin Types

This group all tends to produce large fruited types great for fairs and stock feed but eating quality may not be the greatest on some. Vines  can get quite large and cover huge areas. All are Cucurbita maxima  and have a tough time with vine borers.

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Amish Pie

Amish Pie- 100 days- I first obtained this in the early 1980's from a Seed Saver Exchange member in Maryland. Fruits are large pinkish skinned with thick flesh. Pkt. $2.50

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Big Max

Big Max- 100 days-   Not huge like Atlantic Giant, but produces large (up to 200 pound) fruits that are a deep, rich red-orange.  While people call this a pumpkin, we only put varieties that are C. pepo  in the pumpkin classification in our catalog.  Pkt. $1.50

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Casper

Casper- - 95 days - White skinned pumpkin shape, good for painting.  Many soils will cause this one to take on a bluish cast. Pkt. $2.50

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Gialla Mammoth

Gialla Mammoth - 100 days -  Large, very fleshy fruits that are deep orange on the outside and paler orange inside.  99% chance the same as Mammoth King.  $2.00 Certified Organic Seed

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Mammoth King

Mammoth King - 100 days - C. maxima  Jess Reil of South Dakota contacted us searching for this old Gurney variety he remembered from his childhood.  I too had remembered growing it, but had lost seed.  There was a packet in my friend, Tom Knoche’s, freezer storage that I inherited.  Even though the packet was almost 30 years old, Jess was able to get a crop and we are happy to get it back into circulation again.  Fruits can get to 60 lbs and are thick fleshed.  Works great for stock feed as well.  Pkt. $2.50 Certified Organic Seed

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Rouge V’if D’Etampes

Rouge V’if D’Etampes- 100 days- Listed here, though most companies now list it as Cinderella under pumpkins.  There was already a pumpkin with that name, therefore we will keep this very old French pumpkin/squash with its proper scientific classification.  Fruits can weigh up to 50 pounds and are flattened orange-red.  Pkt. $2.50

Winter Squash: Unique Types

The ones listed here just don’t fit well into any of the categories that we have set up. That doesn’t make them less worthy, but just more unusual.  There are some members in all species.

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Futtsu

Futtsu- 110 days- C. moschata  Very ribbed, dark green turning grayish orange in maturity.  Sweet orange-yellow flesh.  This Japanese variety is very tasty with an almost nutty flavor Pkt. $3.00  Certified Organic Seed SOLD OUT AS OF FEBRUARY 15 2024

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Ithanga

Ithanga- 110 days- C. moschata . A unique variety sent to us back in 2001 by Mike Beahm who spent a week with the Zulu tribe of South Africa and they presented him with this delicious productive small squash. It has taken us awhile to get it replicated and  out to the public ( too many projects, too little time). Our dear friends Joel and Teri Schroeder grew this seed crop for us as it  is one of their favorites. Their family lived nearby for years and their poor children grew up taste testing the over 700 varieties  of squash in my collection. They find the size for( just the two of them now) and flavor of this one great.  You can see the fruit turns orange tan as it ripens in storage. Pkt. $3.00 Certified Organic Seed

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Gold Nugget

Gold Nugget - 80 days - C. maxima  Superb, bush type squash with hard shell for keeping.  Best in areas not prone to vine borers. I grew these with great success out west  and they kept exceptionally well. Here it is a fight with the vine borers to see who wins.   Pkt. $1.75

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Honeyboat Delicata

Honeyboat Delicata- 90 days C. pepo  A newer refined Delicata type that has a slightly different and darker skin color with streaks. Very sweet when cooked. Pkt. $3.00  Certified Organic Seed

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Iran

Iran- 100 days- colorful squash I retrieved from the USDA in 1981. Nice mix of green and orange on a fruit.  Very decorative, semi flattened fruits. Seed comes in two colors. Pkt. $2.50

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Lebanese

Lebanese - 70 days - C. pepo  Semi-bush, oblong, blocky, zucchini type, used when young as a summer squash, then can be used later as an acorn type winter squash.  Pkt. $3.00. Certified Organic Seed

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Mexigold

Mexigold- 80 days-  C. maxima   My own creation, my first attempt at plant breeding while I was in high school.  A very early, sweet, pink skinned, heart-shaped squash averaging 4 to 8 pounds.   Flesh is very orange and  tasty. Pkt. $3.00   Certified Organic Seed   OSSI  pledged seed variety

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Quality

Quality - C. maxima  A refined Green Delicious type, dry fleshed.  One of the first seeds I obtained from Robert Kennedy in the early 1980’s when I first joined the Seed Savers Exchange.  He had saved so many good, old varieties.  I’ll always be grateful for the large number of varieties he saved.  This squash does well here for a maxima type. They stand up to the late infestations of cucumber beetles well and get a hard enough skin to still keep well.  Pkt $2.50  Certified Organic Seed 

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Spaghetti

Spaghetti-  C. pepo  Fruits are an excellent low-cal food.  Bake halves (after removing seeds) then pull out the stringy flesh.  We top with a little butter, minced garlic and Parmesan cheese.  A delicious dish.  May also use as a substitute for pasta with spaghetti sauce.  Pkt. $1.50

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Triamble

Triamble- 110 days - C. maxima  - Unique 3 lobed squash.  Originated in Australia, introduced to U.S. in 1932.  Skin is a slate blue.  Pkt. $3.00

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Tonda Padana

Tonda Padana- 110 days - C. pepo  - a very unique looking thick ribs, grey green areas between thick orangish ribs   Pkt. $3.00

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Tweet-ee-oo-Bakers

Tweet-ee-oo-Bakers- 100 days- C. pepo   Southern heirloom.  Vigorous vines produce 6 inch yellowish fruits with green stripes.  Flesh is mild and moist.  Pkt. $1.75  Certified Organic Seed

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Yakima Marblehead

Yakima Marblehead- 100 days-  C.maxima-  a old variety very popular in the northwest when I was a child in the 1960's.  I remember going  to the produce department of the IGA store to get the lettuce leaves and scrap produce for my poultry and see these large sometimes 40-60 pound squash sitting back there . In those days they cut them up and sold chunks in the produce counter. They are a slate blue color and  medium dry flesh. A true old time variety.  Pkt. $2.50 Certified Organic See

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Zapollito de Tronco

Zapollito de Tronco- 100 days-  C. maxima  Cheese shape.  May be eaten like a zucchini in the immature stage.  At that stage, flesh is avocado-like in texture.  Pkt. $3.00  Certified Organic Seed   

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Zapallo Plomo

Zapallo Plomo- 110 days- C. maxima - translated means Lead Squash. It is a pale grey with very dry  deep orange flesh. 

Pkt. $2.50  Certified Organic Seed

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