Ancient Squash

Candy Roaster Squash

A friend gave me some seeds for Candy Roaster Squash.  I'd never heard of it.  I had some extra space at the neighborhood community garden, so I decided to plant them.  It's a good thing there was space, because the vines took over the garden.

As far as I can tell,  there was only one squash on the vine, but I'm not sure as the vines are so dense. 

This squash was almost five pounds and last night we roasted it for dinner.  We brushed it with olive oil and roasted for about 45 minutes.  About 15 minutes before it was done, we brushed it with butter melted with a little brown sugar.  It was delicious! 

With fresh creamed corn, white acre peas, sliced tomatoes and fried chicken, it was a great southern meal.

The Candy Roaster Squash is an heirloom grown for centuries by the Cherokee Indians.  I've saved some seeds, and plan to grow it again.


Even more interesting, Master Gardener Peggy McDonald recently posted an article on the VegHeadz Facebook page about another heirloom squash grown by Native Americans, the Gete-okosomin (translated "big old squash").  Gardeners in the Miami nation of Indiana have reportedly grown the squash for thousands of years.

The Gete-okosomin grows to 18 lbs. (some stories say up to 30 lbs.) and has smooth sweet flesh much like the Candy Roaster.  Both types can be used for pies, puddings, roasted, steamed, mashed, you name it.  The taste is similar to sweets potatoes or a sweet pumpkin.

The similarity between the two varieties is striking. 

Seeds for both types of squash are available at Bakers Seeds. 

Gete-okosomin Squash