The History of Hubbard Squash

Squash is thought to have originated in Central and South America and has likely been eaten since prehistoric times. Squash has also been cultivated by Native Americans for over 9,000 years and is one of the “three sisters” that formed the cornerstone of the Native American diet around that time that the European colonists began to arrive. In fact, Native Americans introduced the colonists to squash and other forms of sustenance to help them survive, and the vegetables were adopted into the diets of settlers. During the 19th century, many new squash varieties were brought to New England by American sea captains, who came across them on their voyages to the West Indies and South America and brought samples back home to plant. Hubbard squash was one of them. More specifically, it was introduced to the American market by seedsman James J.H. Gregory of Marblehead, Massachusetts in 1854. Slow Food USA traces the variety’s arrival to Captain Knott Martin’s ship, which docked in Marblehead that year. Gregory himself claimed that a Mrs. Elizabeth Hubbard had given him the seeds after obtaining them from Captain Knott Martin. Reportedly, Mrs. Hubbard had claimed that it was the best squash she had ever tasted, and Gregory decided to name the variety after her, giving rise to the name “Hubbard squash.” The variety originally had green skin, but Gregory later developed the blue-skinned variety that is still quite popular (if slightly off-putting to some people!) today, especially in New England.