Futtsu Black Early Winter Squash

100 days. Cucurbita moschata. A stunning heirloom grown for hundreds of years in Japan, Black Futtsu fruits are petite at about 3 pounds, growing on vigorous vines. Blocky, deeply ribbed and extremely bumpy, for most of the season they are a gorgeous dark green to charcoal black, but in fall they mature to a gray-bloomed dusty orange in a fascinating metamorphosis. Harvest in the midst of their transformation for funky fall displays or wait for them to ripen completely for maximum flavor, which is nutty and sweet with hints of chestnut. The thin skin is edible, so no need to peel before slicing it into thin golden-yellow-fleshed wedges and roasting until caramelized and crispy-sweet. Highly decorative, Black Futtsu keeps for months on end. (OP.)

One packet of about 40 seeds
In stock
Item
#4145
$4.95
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  • Information
  • There is something extraordinary about the aroma of baking Winter Squash, bubbling with butter and brown sugar. Sun-loving Winter Squash is best direct-sown in well-draining, fertile, 60°F soil, two weeks past the last spring frost date. Plant them with plenty of elbow room since they love to ramble. Squash is simple to grow and transforms easily into nutritious, heart-warming dishes: soups, gratins or sumptuous Thai or Indian curries. Squash requires fertile soil and room to stretch in hot sunshine. Harvest with a sharp blade when skin is hard and the mature coloration appears, leaving some stem. Cure in the sun for ten days or in a dry room for five days. Properly cured Squash, kept cool and dry, keeps all winter long. Bee friendly. Deer resistant.

    Average seed life: 3 years.
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There is something extraordinary about the aroma of baking Winter Squash, bubbling with butter and brown sugar. Sun-loving Winter Squash is best direct-sown in well-draining, fertile, 60°F soil, two weeks past the last spring frost date. Plant them with plenty of elbow room since they love to ramble. Squash is simple to grow and transforms easily into nutritious, heart-warming dishes: soups, gratins or sumptuous Thai or Indian curries. Squash requires fertile soil and room to stretch in hot sunshine. Harvest with a sharp blade when skin is hard and the mature coloration appears, leaving some stem. Cure in the sun for ten days or in a dry room for five days. Properly cured Squash, kept cool and dry, keeps all winter long. Bee friendly. Deer resistant.

Average seed life: 3 years.
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