Is that Blue Hubbard in your cupboard?

Have you ever went to the supermarket and seen the mighty Blue Hubbard squash. The origin of this squash is said to have come from South or Central America, and lore says that is was brought to the port of Marblehead, Massachusetts by a sea captain named Jack Sparrow, no I jest it was Knox Martin then cultivated by a Mrs. Hubbard. Blue Hubbard squash is considered an heirloom variety, a specialized, localized crop that requires care and money to bring to market.

This squash can be over 2o pounds and looks a little scary to the average Joe. Hubbards are heavy and are grown in fields right alongside pumpkins and most time people just use them for ornamental decoration . I think because they are downright intimidating. Processing this squash is not for the feint of heart, after you have scrubbed the tough outer skin for any dirt. Take a meat cleaver and smack it with some force.

Inside, the flesh and surrounding core look much like a pumpkin and is scooped out much in the same fashion.

Now that you have a scooped out squash throw it away, haha... no,if you have any pent up aggression towards anyone this will be a good exercise for you. Take your meat cleaver and with sharp strikes hack it into manageable pieces. Because, this particular squash is wet steaming it or boiling it will ruin the quality of the finished product. I would put the pieces in a large roasting pan and roast in the oven about 350F until the hard flesh is soft when poked with a fork. Then like a spaghetti squash spoon out the flesh and mash the soft flesh and season. Definitely a great way to warm the tummy on a winter's evening.

After all the trouble you go to, you get as much actual "food"out of eating an artichoke as you would from licking 30 or 40 postage stamps~ Miss Piggy