Hopi Pale Gray Winter Squash

100 to 110 days — Its vines are very productive. The fruit are oblong, gray-green in color and average between ten and fifteen pounds in weight.  The flesh is a deep orange color, is semi-dry and fine-grained in texture, with a good, mild flavor with a hint of sweetness. Once properly cured, the squash keep well into the winter. Their flavors actually keep getting better in storage.

Although a good candidate for any winter squash recipe, one of our favorite ways to prepare this variety is the simplest method.

Wash the fruit, cut in half lengthwise, and clean out the seed cavity. It is at this step, if you ensured that the plants did not cross with other squash or pumpkins in the neighborhood, when you can save your seeds, otherwise, save them to roast for a snack.

Leaving the rind on, cut up into chunks and place into a covered casserole dish. Prick the flesh with a fork, cover, and place in the oven preheated to 350ºF. Bake for about 50 minutes or until the flesh is tender. Optionally, about five minutes prior to removing from the oven, brush the chunks with butter. We like it plain but you can season to taste.

As its name implies, this is an old Native American squash variety from the Southwest but it does quite well in other climates. Quite rare and in limited supply. Each packet contains three grams, which is approximately 15 to 18 seeds.