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cucurbita
moschata 2004
ALL
PACKETS OF Cucurbita moschata CONTAIN APPROXIMATELY 20 SEEDS UNLESS
OTHERWISE NOTED
Seminole
115
days-2 to 4 pounds-buff-colored. Vining habit. This is a great
squash. A staff favorite for taste at the Great Pumpkin Patch,
the Seminole originated with the Seminole Indians of Florida
and
has many unusual characteristics, including keeping for up to
a year even when grown in the Everglades, where apparently
they
used to be a common sight hanging down from moss-covered trees.
The fruits are small, teardrop-shaped, slightly ribbed, and
packed
with extremely juicy deep orange flesh. The stems are extra-long
and firmly attached to the pointy tops of the fruits. One source
indicates that they can live for several years if untouched
by
frost. Try as a juicy substitute for Butternut. $3.00/pkt.
U.N.
Plaza Calabaza
125
days-4 to 6 pounds-buff-colored overlaid with a complex green
and white tracery. Vining habit. I collected this squash from
some Mexican farmers at a farmer's market at United Nations Plaza
in San Francisco, California in 1998, and have yet to see anything
quite like it. We still have not really explored its culinary
possibilities, but for looks alone this one is a winner. It is
small, deeply but widely ribbed, relatively flat, and flares out
wide from the stem and then tapers dramatically to the blossom
end. The color pattern is striking. I did ask for the name of
this squash when I bought it, but unfortunately did not press
farther than "calabaza," the Spanish word for squash. SORRY--NOT
AVAILABLE THIS YEAR--MUST BUILD UP MORE SEED STOCK
Xhosa
120
days-10 to 12 pounds-light yellowish-tan at maturity, often retaining
some green markings from the deep-green days of its youth. Vining
habit. My brother Mac collected seed for this variety from some
biodynamic farmers near Port St. Johns in eastern South Africa
in spring of 2000. Apparently it is a traditional variety of the
Xhosa people, one of the major ethnic groups in the country. Makes
a very tasty (although rather watery) pie. Shape varies from round
(becoming pointy near the stem) to a Buckskin-like oval to a more
elongated form. $3.00/pkt. LIMITED QUANTITIES ONLY
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