Hubbard Squash Delivery or Pickup

While most people recognize acorn or butternut squash as additions to holiday meals, one of the tastiest of all winter squashes is the large Hubbard squash. This hard winter squash often weighs around 15 pounds, with some recorded a high as 50 pounds. Hubbard squash has an extremely thick skin that's hard to slice open, and you'll often find it sold in pre-cut pieces in the store.

The flesh of Hubbard squash is sweet and almost nutty, reminiscent of sweet pumpkin. Hubbard squash is ideal for roasting in its skin, adding to hearty soups, or baking in pies. Roasting Hubbard squash brings out the sweetness from the flesh. When you look at this nutritious squash, you'll notice it has thick skin with lots of bumps on it and ranges in colors from deep green to gray-blue. This thick skin helps to preserve the shelf life of the Hubbard squash.

Hubbard squash is technically a fruit because its seeds are on the inside of the skin. Vegetables have seeds from a flowering stem, such as broccoli, carrots, and spinach. Hubbard squash is botanically classified as a gourd in the Cucurbita Maxima family. Other notable fruits in this family include pumpkin, buttercup squash, and surprisingly, cucumber, watermelon, and cantaloupe as subcategories.

Hubbard squash originated in South America and, through trade routes, made its way to North America, where it's been cultivated since the 1830s. Legend has it that a North American botanist, James J. H. Gregory, obtained the seeds of this extraordinary squash from Mrs. Elizabeth Hubbard who got the seeds from a seaman from Western Europe. Mr. Gregory then cultivated the squash, and today, Hubbard squash is one of the most popular hard squashes available.

Save time and make your day easier when you order Hubbard squash via Instacart. Check out the Instacart website or use the app downloaded onto your smartphone to place your order for Hubbard squash. An Instacart shopper will find the perfect Hubbard squash for you and deliver it to you the same day!

When choosing a whole Hubbard squash, look for ones with a fairly uniform color, and that is rock hard. When you pick the squash up, it should feel heavy and solid, and there shouldn't be any give when you squeeze it. Most Hubbard squash you find in the store or farmers market will still have the stem attached. Pick a Hubbard squash the has a fully dried, solid stem on it. Avoid any Hubbard squash that has soft spots or bruises.

Some stores will sell Hubbard squash in packages with pre-cut pieces of the squash in them. Having the squash already cut and in smaller pieces can be quite convenient as cutting Hubbard squash open is often a challenge. If you order pre-cut squash, look for pieces with deep orange flesh, some seeds still in the cavity pieces, and ones with no mold.

The thick skin helps to extend the life span of Hubbard squash. Store whole Hubbard squash in a cool, dry environment for up to six months. For pre-cut pieces, keep them wrapped in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to seven days.