October 1, 2009

Silver Bell Winter Squash

Silver Bells are one of my favorite c. maxima squash. They seem really heavy for their size (weighing from 3 to 6 pounds), and I think they're just beautiful. Silver Bells are perfectly suited for baking whole, and can be cleaned, baked, and processed just like a small pumpkin. I can't imagine why this variety isn't much more common.

I direct-seeded the Silver Bells on June 5th, and harvested them from early to mid September. It's definitely a vining squash, but not as vigorous as many other c. maximas I grew this year. I sib-pollinated the fruits, keeping one fruit per vine.

The cooked and pureed silver bells were about 9 Brix -- which is pretty sweet for a squash. I made a few great pies from these!



A pair of Silver Bells

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