Sweet Meat–Oregon Homestead (OG)

Carol Deppe, “This line of Sweet Meat represents my re-selection of the Oregon heirloom for all its traditional virtues-sweet, thick, dry flesh of unsurpassed flavor, fruits 12 - 25 lbs, huge delicious seeds, long storing, and ability to germinate in cold mud and grow vigorously in cool weather. These characteristics have largely been lost from the current commercial lines. Cure indoors at least one month. Oregonians traditionally open their first Sweet Meat for Thanksgiving. Gets sweeter and more delicious in storage. Stores at least 6 months. Freezes well. Cooked squash makes good fruit leather. Immature squash left at the end of the growing season make good summer squash and drying squash.”

”Sweet Meat–Oregon Homestead is grown on an isolated farm as the only variety of their species on the farm. With both, I generally have plant populations of at least 80. More usually a hundred or more. Only the top 20% or so of the fruits are kept for seed. We eat or sell the rest. I actively, personally select each fruit for critical characteristics such as flesh thickness, seed size, and flavor each generation. The squash seed fruits are all heavily after-ripened before processing, so the seed germinates very vigorously in the field, but not under sterile conditions.”

This is Open Source Pledged Seed (OSSI). By purchasing this seed you are a part of the Free The Seed movement. This variety is registered as an OSSI-pledged variety and seed. “You have the freedom to use these OSSI-Pledged seeds in any way you choose. In return, you pledge not to restrict others’ use of these seeds or their derivatives by patents or other means, and to include this pledge with any transfer of these seeds or their derivatives.” To learn more, visit: www.osseeds.org/about/.