What would you get if you crossed Paul Bunyan's Big Blue Ox, Babe, with Mother Goose? I know, it's a real toughie, so I'll tell you: a blue hubbard giant heirloom squash. For one, you need Paul Bunyan's axe to open it and if Mother Hubbard had grown one of these her cupboard wouldn't have been bare. I had my doubts about this fellow. My other winter squash and pumpkins wrinkled and slumped in the garage (not 100% ripe when frost hit...). But a couple days ago my husband attempted to cut open Baby Blue. Don't be fooled by the tough exterior! A good drop onto the driveway revealed the hearty orange flesh, preserved since October. My husband processed more than 12 pounds--our baby gobbled down at least a pound--and the chickens scavenged the shells (which could easily double as boats in an emergency). We saved the seeds too-an essential for sustainable gardens. We enjoyed it as a side dish at Sunday dinner-velvety smoothe and sweet.
If you can't attend the Feb. 7th planning meeting (7-8pm at Day-Riverside Library), you may still help at the garden and weigh in on seed choices. Peas can go in the ground during thaws I'm not sure quite how to do this--I planted spinach and radishes last week under mulch, but had no peas. I hope to remedy that so I can try peas porridge in the pot, hot or cold or nine days old.
