Hubbard White Squash BIO (Cucurbita maxima)

White Hubbard Squash (Cucurbita maxima): is a historic winter storage variety of North American origin, traditionally associated with the agriculture of New England. Introduced to the commercial market around the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, this member of the Hubbard family is distinguished by its relatively compact size and spindle-shaped form, with markedly tapered ends. Fruit generally weighs between three and eight kilograms. The skin, thin yet leathery in texture, develops a chalk-white to pale grey-green colour when fully mature, providing excellent mechanical protection against pathogens and adverse weather conditions.

The plant has a vigorous trailing and climbing habit and requires adequate space for the development of its extensive vegetative growth.

From an agronomic standpoint, the cultivar is renowned for its excellent keeping quality. When stored in cool, well-ventilated and dry conditions, it maintains its organoleptic characteristics for periods ranging from six to eight months.

The flesh is dense and fine-textured, with a yellow-orange colour.

Compared with common culinary squash varieties, White Hubbard has a lower water content, resulting in a higher concentration of sugars and greater specific density.

In the kitchen, the cultivar is particularly appreciated for its dry, compact and velvety flesh, with little fibrousness and virtually no excess moisture. Its flavour profile is complex and distinctly sweet, with notes reminiscent of chestnut and sweet potato.

Because of its exceptionally tough skin, the most common preparation is to roast the squash in wedges and remove the flesh once cooked. It is ideal for velvety soups and purées, gnocchi dough — requiring less binding flour thanks to its naturally dry flesh — traditional fresh-pasta fillings and baked pastry preparations.

In the field, it proves to be a highly vigorous and notably hardy variety, capable of developing dense foliage that acts as a natural living mulch, suppressing spontaneous weeds. Cultivation requires full sun and fertile soil, with deep preparation, excellent drainage and an adequate pre-planting supply of organic matter.

Water requirements are considerable during the stages of vegetative growth and fruit set. Localised irrigation directly at soil level is recommended to help prevent the development of fungal diseases on the foliage.

Harvest takes place in late autumn. The fruits are then given a short period of curing in the sun, an essential step for completing skin hardening and optimising their winter storage life.