Wedding and Honeynut

On November 1st, I catered our last wedding of the season.  The bride supplied her own squash. I encourage families to bring family treasures, menus, recipes (or even their own squashes!) to the wedding reception and/or table, as it makes for a much more meaningful and personal event.

The bride works at an organic farm and the farmer has been developing a squash that is outstanding in the field of squash. It is honeynut squash - a combination of butternut and buttercup squash and the sweetest little thing you have ever seen. I mean sweet! It is a small little thing that is russet gold with a waxy, antique look to it. The inside is a deep orange red flesh.

This honeynut squash is celebrated for its small size, sweetness, disease resistance, and high levels of beta-carotene, but there is a story behind it.  It is a collaborative relationship between chef Dan Barber of Stone Barns, and his farmer Jack Algiere, and Michael Mazourek, Assistant Professor of Plant Breeding & Genetics at Cornell University and high mowing seeds. They have been working on this variety since 2006.  This would be a GREAT ADDITION to your squash collection! EVERYONE commented on it being the best squash they ate, thinking it was a butternut.

We did a bit of research and found the honeynut is stable and self-fertile which allows for seed saving. So, we saved the seeds, carefully dried them and are sharing them among those who wish to try this variety in their garden next Spring. We will be spreading these seeds over Martha’s Vineyard. Jim at Morning Glory Farm, Caitlin at Mermaid Farm, Rusty at Ghost Island, and the Allen Farm all have seeds. Now if we see honeynut squash next Fall, it most likely will have come from this couple's celebration!

Photo Credit:  Tracy