Garden Journal: Buttercup squash

I picked up Buttercup squash seeds on a whim because I had one more bed unplanted. The vines on this stuff grew across the garden over the fence and through the rose bushes. Some of the fruits that set in the rosebushes got nibbled to pieces by some rodents, either mice or chipmunks, or both for all I know. They did get a little unhealthy toward the end of the summer with the squash bugs, vine borers and bacterial wilt, but still produced a dozen squashes. I've had to throw out 3 or 4 that got soft, but the rest are keeping quite well in the cellar. The flavor was rather mild but not as sweet as the Burpee's Bush Butternut which I prefer. The ones still in the cellar may be sweeter now that they have aged so I'll have to give them a try. I processed a few for the freezer for muffins, pies and such in case I ran out of pumpkin. Cooked up with butter, brown sugar and some pumpkin pie spice and they are still pretty good. I once grew a squash called "Lakota," which looked more like a pumpkin and was supposedly a pure Native American strain. This was delicious and a very good keeper. They stayed well in the cellar until late March with a rind too tough for the rodents to bother. I might try this one again if I can find any seeds.

A pretty good squash, but not a great squash.