Dutch Fork Butternut Pumpkin - 30lb

Use this amazing native crop for anything you would do with a modern hybrid butternut squash, but even better!!!

This rare gem is South Carolina’s very own indigenous butternut squash!!! I got my original seed of this variety from my dear friend and fellow seedsman, Carold Wicker, of Pomaria, SC.  This native of the Upcountry and Middle Country of South Carolina was a major foodway of the Congaree, Catawba, and Cherokee Indians, and is where Pumpkintown, SC got its name! 

Following the Native Americans, the German colonists of the Dutch Fork region of SC maintained this butternut since the 1750s.  It became known as the ‘old timey cornfield pumpkin’ by locals and was planted around the perimeter of cornfields to suppress weeds.  As commercial agriculture advanced in the 20th century, that practice disappeared and so did the pumpkin.  Only a few old seedsmen like Wicker still maintain small patches in their home gardens for local consumption.  Although the German descendants revere it as the best for making pies, it can be used for any recipe that commercial butternuts would be used. It makes a silkier and smoother soup or bisque than commercial butternuts, and is unmatched for baking into pies and breads.  Unlike commercial butternuts, the skin can be used as well, and the seeds can used for pepitas! It’s a great size for stuffing and roasting too.