North Georgia Candy Roaster (open-pollinated)

(Curcurbita maxima)
Banana

North Georgia Candy Roaster (NGCR) is a beautiful open-pollinated heirloom pink banana weighing in at 8-12 pounds. While most widely grown in Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, NGCR has performed very well in our trials in western Oregon (and reportedly in Manitoba), and won our hearts with its lovely shape and color and delicious flesh. Seeds are available from Johnny’s, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, among others.

This is a squash that should not be eaten in September; it needs to store for a month or two to ripen into best eating quality. In the early 1900’s, Thanksgiving feasts called for “candy roaster pies” instead of pumpkin. This is a crowd favorite for making ravioli.

• excellent flavor and quality

• good storage

• very versatile in the kitchen

When to Find/Eat: November - March