Winter Squash- pondering varieties- and opening the tough outer shells

[GrannieAnnie]

I've been re-re-thinking which types of winter squash to grow besides butternut and am finding it hard to decide- unless I dig up the whole back yard for a squash field. I'd really like to try a couple for comparison sake.

While hunting the internet, someone wrote how they "easily"  ;D  cut open the hard ones:
"My personal favorite squash is Blue Hubbard. Cutting those is also a challenge. My mother-in-law had a friend that would place their hubbard in a clean pillowcase, tie it, and then throw it down the stairs to break it open."

[GrannieAnnie]

[gwynnethmary]

That reminded me of the time we bought an enormous water melon for a ridiculously high price in a French supermarket.  When we got back to our gite someone opened the back of the vehicle and it bounced out on to the road, smashing itself in the process.  We still ate it ate though- all week- it was HUGE!

[saddad]

Somebody on here posted that they dropped some from upstairs windows...  :-\

[realfood]

My method of cutting up Winter squash is to use a sharp serrated kitchen meat cutting knife. I pierce the outer skin and then work down one side of the fruit, then back up the other side till I have gone right round.
As for varieties of Winter squash, try BonBon, or Crown Prince and I do not think that you will be disappointed.

[Sparkly]

I have also struggled to get into blue hubbard. I use one of these:

http://japan-blades.com/wp-content/uploads/ot-12-masamoto-chinese.jpg

[saddad]

If things get desperate there's always the billhook and a mallet...  ;D
Another vote for Crown Prince here..  :)

[Mortality]

Just had a look for Crown Prince, to see what it looked like really..

First one on the list was Nicky's Nursery  5 seeds / £2.75  :o

http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/garden-shop/seeds/vegetable-seed/s/squash-winter-crown-prince-5-seeds

gordon bennit !!!

[mpdjulie]

I use these people for nearly all my veg.  They have quite a variety of squash and I think that they are quite cheap.
http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Premier-Seeds-Direct_Vegetables_W0QQ_fsubZ9717735QQ_sidZ79364908QQ_trksidZp4634Q2ec0Q2em322

[chriscross1966]

Just had a look for Crown Prince, to see what it looked like really..

First one on the list was Nicky's Nursery  5 seeds / £2.75  :o

http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/garden-shop/seeds/vegetable-seed/s/squash-winter-crown-prince-5-seeds

gordon bennit !!!

I've got a couple of spares... pm me

[Spudbash]

I'm another Crown Prince fan. To get into one, I wash it, then bake it on a baking tray for as long as it takes to be able to slice into it. When I've cut it in half, I scoop out the seeds and then use a smaller knife to take off the peel. It keeps in the fridge for a few days. If you've got too much to use up within, say, a week, you can always freeze it.

Onion squash (Uchiki Kuri) is another really good one.    ;D

[Vinlander]

I have also struggled to get into blue hubbard. I use one of these:

http://japan-blades.com/wp-content/uploads/ot-12-masamoto-chinese.jpg

I prefer to use the thinner equivalent - similar size but blade is much thinner (not much more than 1mm) and is a smooth wedge profile - helps enormously for that first cut when you're fighting the rigidity of the thing - it simply doesn't want to part.

They are available from chinese kitchen stores and very large chinese supermarkets - they look like this:

http://www.londonbarandkitchen.com/itemImage.cfm?ItemCode=12259&ref=main&item=Chinese_Cleaver_Size_2

Brilliant knife for all veg (so easy to slip the blade under the chopped veg and chuck it all in the pot) and very cheap - one piece stainless steel - the handle is hollow. This one is wholesale but even retail they should be about a tenth of the price of the 'Global' equivalent which is almost the only one on the web.

Mine isn't quite as wide but the fact that the blade is over 60mm wide means it's very easy to whack it with a mallet or rolling pin at that difficult point when a normal knife would be disappearing into the pumpkin.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I use a heavyweight Chinese chopping knife (more like a small meat cleaver so it can take the strain) and a mallet.