Applications

Guatemalan Blue squashes are best suited for cooked applications, including roasting, frying, baking, simmering, and grilling. The soft, cooked flesh can be used in any recipe calling for banana squash and is frequently incorporated into curries, soups, and stews. Guatemalan Blue squashes can also be baked into gratins, cubed and roasted as a side dish, or halved and filled with grains, cheeses, and meats. In addition to savory applications, Guatemalan Blue squashes can be used to flavor pies, cakes, muffins, and bread, or cooked into jams and butter. Guatemalan Blue squashes pair well with spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, and curry, herbs such as rosemary, thyme, and sage, meats such as poultry, fish, and pork, brown sugar, apples, raisins, cranberries, and nuts such as pecans, almonds, and walnuts. Whole squashes will keep up to one month when stored at room temperature and up to six months when kept in cold storage, such as a root cellar. Once the squash is cut, the remaining flesh can be wrapped in plastic and stored in the fridge for five days.

Ethnic/Cultural Info

The Mayan Empire was known for its sophisticated civilization, and during the height of the empire in the 6th century, an extensive agricultural system was also created that included raised crop beds, flooded fields, seasonal crop rotations, and growing multiple species together. One of the most famous systems developed from the Mayans was known as milpa, an intercropping technique used to grow staple vegetables in the Mayan diet. Milpa incorporates squash, beans, and corn in the same field to maximize space and promote growth. The corn was traditionally planted first as it was considered the most sacred crop, followed by the beans and squash. As the plants matured, the beans would climb up the corn stalks, helping to secure the corn from falling over, and the roots would emit nitrogen into the soil, replenishing nutrients. While the beans climbed vertically, the squash would expand and creep across the ground, helping to prevent soil erosion and to stop weeds from growing. The milpa system was considered so successful that it eventually spread to other civilizations throughout Central America, Mexico, and into the United States, where it is traditionally known as the three sisters planting system. Milpa-style gardens are still being used in Guatemala today, and many home gardeners also implement this system in their gardens to maximize space and increase yields.

Geography/History

Squashes belonging to the Cucurbita maxima species are native to South America, where they have been growing wild since ancient times. Many new varieties were created through extensive cultivation, and over time, the squashes were introduced into Central America through migrating peoples. The exact history of Guatemalan Blue squash is unknown, but the variety has been cultivated for over one thousand years and predates Columbus's arrival. Banana squashes were brought to the United States through R.H. Shumway in the 19th century. After the variety’s introduction, many seed catalogs also began advertising varieties of banana squashes, including the Guatemalan Blue for home gardening, but the variety eventually faded from popularity, becoming unknown. Today Guatemalan Blue squashes are considered to be a very rare variety that is only found through select growers, specialty grocers, and farmer’s markets in the United States. The variety is also grown on a small-scale in home gardens and small farms in Central, South, and North America.

SUMMER SQUASH

Summer Squash - a broad term used to describe soft squash varieties such as zucchini and patty pan squash—is a warm-season crop that can be grown almost anywhere in full sun. Wait until any threat of frost has passed and the soil has warmed to about 70 F before planting, as these tender squash varieties are extremely sensitive to frost and light freezes. Perfect for containers, most summer squash grow on short, compact vines that don’t require trellising or staking, unlike the sprawling vines of most winter squash and pumpkins. Rather than growing baseball bat-sized zucchini—which can be bland, full of seeds, and woody—harvest squash when fruit is small and tender and your plants will keep producing right up to frost.

COMMON PESTS: ACucumber Beetle, Aphids, Stink Bug, Squash Bug, Squash Vine Borer

SUSCEPTIBLE TO: Lack of Pollination, Blossom End Rot