Cucurbita Moschata

Squash in the Moschata group tend to do grow well at more Southern Latitudes. Aside from the Butternut, the Moschata group is not well represented in Oregon or the Pacific Northwest. The collection I have are Japanese in origin; Japan being a slightly more Southerly latitude than most of Oregon.

Shishigatani (110 days)

The Shishigatani pumpkin is one of the "kyo yasai," or traditional, vegetables in the Kyoto region. It has been a part of the Kyoto cuisine since the Edo periond of the early 1800s. This Japanese pumpkin, kabocha, is used in shojin ryori, a type of vegetarian cooking earten by Buddist priests. The skin color is dark green, while the ripe fruit is light brown. The flesh is a delicate light yellow color. It weighs about 6 pounds and stands about 8" tall.

Kitazawa Seed Company, Seed packet information. kitazawaseed.com

Chirimen (100 days)

The is a special and tasty Japanese variety of pumpkin with a green, warty skin and yellow, moist flesh. The flat, globe-shaped, ribbed fruit can reach 8" in diameter. The Japanese prepare the sweet flesh by simmering peeled chunck in chicken broth and dashi and flavoring with sugar, soy sauce and salt.

Kitazawa Seed Company, Seed packet information. kitazawaseed.com

Futsu Black (115 days)

Squat, flattened, heavily ribbed Japanese squash has dense, golden flesh with a distinctive haselnut flavor.

Abundant life seeds, seed packet information. abundantlifeseeds.com

Kikuza (95 days)

Heavily ribbed, 4-7 pounds, with orange flesh that is sweet, dry, with an almost spicy flavor. Considered rare.

Abundant life seeds, seed packet information. abundantlifeseeds.com

Musquee de Provence (110 days)

An heirloom cheese pumpkin from the South of France, introduced to American gardeners in 1899 by Vaughan's Seed Store in Chicago. Gorgeous squashes, up to 20 pounds in weight, look like wheeels of cheese, and ripen from green to burnt sienna. Deep orange flesh is dense and superb table quality. Very long shelf life. However, intolerant of cold.

Seed Savers Exchange, seed packet information. seedsavers.org

Zucchetta Rampicante (95 days)

Obtained through seed savers. This squash is the same color as Butternut, possibly a very near cousin, only selected over the decades to be very long and curved. I prefer this squash over Butternut simply because it is easier to prepare. I suspect the supermarkets do not sell this variety because it is long and curved, making shipping and marketing a challenge.

Butternut (95 days).

The Waltham Butternut has a history, I just haven't researched it yet.