GROW IT
Nutty, lovely Barbara Butternut
October 29, 2009
Sonia Day
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Butternut squash Barbara; Cucurbita
It was, alas, a sloshy summer for squash. Too much rain coupled with not enough sun meant that many kinds of Cucurbita weren't up to snuff this year.
Yet good old Barbara butternut delivered – as she always does. This is absolutely my fave fall squash, because no matter the weather, you can always count on harvesting at least a few of her big, bulbous offbeat-looking fruit.
And how fantastic they taste. The Man in my Life, who runs a mile in the other direction whenever I suggest having zucchini for supper, adores Ms. B even more I do.
"So much flavour," he exults. "Sort of nutty. And the texture isn't mushy like zucchini."
Barb is also easygoing and unfussy about conditions. I grow mine on a south-facing slope where the soil is hard-as-a-brick clay and very dry. So every spring I put down a big sheet of black plastic, then cut holes in this about 30-cm square, ladle a scoop of compost into each hole, and plant her seeds there. And this year, in spite of the rain (which meant fewer pollinating bees around than normal), she rewarded me with more than 25 progeny produced on four vines.
Like all butternuts, Barbara has firm, bright orange flesh. There's lots of it, too, because the seed cavity is small. You don't have to scrape half the darn thing away before getting down to the edible part.
An exclusive hybrid developed by Thompson and Morgan Seeds, you can't buy buxom Barbara anywhere else. To order: 1-800-274-7333 or www.tmseeds.com.
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Toronto Star