Putting up Cushaw Squash in Appalachia 

My grandma was born in the Eastern Kentucky mountains during the Great Depression and to pay the midwife back they payed with a cushaw squash and a lard can. Cushaw has definitely played an important role in our family!

I planted Cushaw this summer in memory of my father who passed in 2020. He came from a family of 11 children. They grew cushaw because one squash would feed a lot of people. He loved cushaw. Thanks for the video.

With big, really tough skinned squashes like that, my great-grandmother would put a clean sheet on the basement floor at the foot of the stairs...then she would hurl the squash down...collect the pieces in the sheet...and cook!!

"Girls, I'm not going to let a watermelon intimidate me." That's first class parenting right there,Tipper! Love it! 😂😂😂

My grandmother used to grow these, and she would cut it with a big hacksaw!! Grandpa would always pretend to be mad that she used his saw from the shop😂

Memories came flooding back from my late father, he called me cushaw head because I have an enormous head lol. I miss him so much.

We always refer to it as the ABCs of squash. A squash or B squash or C squash. A is for acorn, B is for butternut and C is for cushaw.

That's a gorgeous squash! I don't think I have ever had cushaw squash before but I haven't met a squash I didn't like.

Thank you so much! I grew Cushaw this year the harvest was prolific and delicious! And with this comment, I've rolled the comments number over to 667! Praise God.

We call them "coo"shaws. We also make pies, cakes, bread and such. So good!! We love them baked, fried, or canned for soups! Love this video!

We use to cut them into pieces and baked them in the oven with brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. They were very good. Good, simple meal. I wonder if anyone else does that anymore.

Thank you for introducing me to this type of squash! I've never heard of it before. Your way of bagging is something I've done for years as well. It not only makes for neat, space-saving storage but also is so quick to thaw! I do up my ground beef like this too in gallon bags and then indent it with a wooden spoon handle into quarters, so I can break off how much I need for each meal. I just love your videos, practicality and positivity!

Not done cushaw, but love stiffed buttercup. Fill with browned ground sausage, chopped apples, raisins, and drizzle with with maple syrup or brown sugar with a tad of apple juice. I usually partially bake the squash firsy

I would like to see a video of you making a cushaw pie!

I love pumpkin and squash. Thank you for teaching me about the cushaw variety and how to freeze. You have been blessed with a bountiful harvest.🤗🤗

Wow, I haven't seen a squash like this since 1970. We used to plant some seeds in the corn rows and harvest them just before picking corn. All during the '60's! Your videos bring back so many memories of growing up in SE Missouri! Keep the videos coming! Blessings!

Wow, that's a squash! Impressive, Tipper!. We have never canned squash either. Like you, we freeze ours but our process is a bit different than yours. We freeze our winter squash raw, cut into cubes, frozen on a cookie sheet, and then bagged. We don't bake desserts anymore, so the squash is eaten as a vegetable and cooked as we use it. If the winter squash will be eaten in a month or two, we just cure it and keep it in the root cellar. It's interesting to see different methods used to accomplish the same task. Thanks for posting, Tipper!

Thank you for this video! My Dad always made cushaw pies and they were my favorite, but he passed away and I didn't know how to process it. This video was exactly what I needed. I bought a cushaw at a farmers stand and now I can confidently cook it and get to making my favorite pie from my childhood. ❤️

My uncle grew cushaws when I was a young girl and he would always send us home with some when we visited. We only made pies with them but the pies were so good that they didn’t last very long. I remember making pies myself when I was about 12 and taking one to school as a present for my teacher. I think we may have boiled the squash. I bet it’s been 50 years since I have had a cushaw. That’s a lot of sweet memories from watching this video.

I was brought up in Missouri in the Ozarks. My grandma grew these squash every year and she called them Crook Neck. I love your vocabulary tests. Usually I know most of them but learn a new one ever so often. Thank you for all you do.

Love the way you flatten the squash in the ziplock bag for easy storage. Also makes defrosting quicker. I also freeze cream cheese frosting for carrot cake like that and once defrosted, snip corner and squeeze onto cake.. yes, between the deer hunter and you, the twins should not be intimidated by any size fruits or vegetables! They will thank you later💞

I recently bought a cushaw. My grandmother used to cook them in Louisiana, and I'm cooking it in the oven with nutmeg, cinnamon, and brown sugar. But I'm saving the seeds so I can grow them in my yard with my dad.

I'm a yankee from Connecticut, never saw this variety, looks great, a dozen or so of these would be a good winter food supply, God bless

I was surprised by a gift of Cushaws left on my doorstep by my wonderful mail lady. And since I've never grown or cooked them before I looked for a good video about them and found yours. Thank you very much!

I watched my father cut a cushaw. He took a knife and barely taped it with a hammer. He cut that cushaw easy. I am so glad I watched him

I’ve never grown or eaten a Cushaw, but man they are big. Looks good as well

I’m so happy I found you. I’m going to help you to get to 100,000. People need to learn our history. The split to Massachusetts and to the Appalachia isn’t even taught.

My dad grew one like that in Central Iowa I gave it to a guy I had met grandma, she was really excited about it.

This channel is so wholesome! Glad this came up on my recommendation. Subbed and liked! Looking forward to your channel hitting 100k soon. It's wonderful to see and share with us your unique traditions. Love and respect from Malaysia.💓👍

Your idea to flatten out the bags is brilliant. Not only does it make efficient use of your freezer space, but it probably thaws faster than if it were a big lump of frozen squash. And now I want to have squash for dinner! Thank you! 😊

Will try to grow these in CT, next year! Have you ever heard of kakoosa? I'm probably spelling that wrong? It's a squash, actually the name transulates to squash. It a fast grower! You can almost watch it daily inches at least. It can and did grow 4 feet in length!! Like a baseball bat! I picked them up at a local nursery because it was so different. I planted it in a container with a trellis. It vined up the trellis reached a low hanging tree limb and one day I looked out and had three of them hanging from the branches in my tree! .

I'm so glad I found You! Everything reminds me of my Grandma and cousins country life.

Down here in Amish country we use neck pumpkins. The outside is a light peachy tan but the inside is deep reddish pumpkin color. We swear it makes the best pies and breads. I even make pumpkin pancakes with it. We process it much the same as you process the cushaw.

Good to see someone else grow and cook cushaw squash dear to my heart and I think a very good pie too, this is home

I wondered why you had such a big freezer bag. Makes perfect sense.

I don’t know if I’ve ever had a that type of squash but my mother in law makes what she calls squash pie. It’s way more milder than pumpkin but I love it way more than pumpkin pie now. She makes it out of whatever kind of squash she can grow or find. One time she had a farmer giver her a huge Hubbard and she couldn’t cut it so she went outside and threw it on the concrete and busted it open that way 😂

As always, you showed us your wisdom. I freeze everything flat, vegetables, meat including ground beef. Also I’ve never known the names of some of the less popular squashes, growing up in Hialeah Florida we usually referred to most of them by Summer squash or Winter squash. Thank you for another enjoyable video and for mentioning the name of the squash. From Panama City Florida USA.🇺🇸

I told my Mother about your cushaw video ,she was reading my Great Grandmothers diary to me ,the other day ,while we had coffee and she had wrote that she was fixing a cushaw for Dads supper.my Mother asked me what that coulda been?and I told her it was a big ol striped squash.then I found your video.lol Mom and Dad Burchett lived in Olive Hill Ky.I usta love going there each summer .Mom lived in a huge 2 story old house on tick ridge.I lived in a small little house way up Hunting Camp Creek,in Bland County ,Va.I'm still living along Hunting Camp Creek.in a different house ,but when I was a kid we lived further up the creek,we never had any indoor plumbing ,and I was always fetching water from the spring for drinking or from a hand dug well for washing .I can still remember my mother makeing me go to the spring early ,because she was forever fretting a bear was gonna eat me.lol I played in the mountains every day ,with my big German shepherd dog .but of course mom still fretted if'n I got outta sight of the kitchen window.lol so she had my daddy get me a new winchester 30-30.I can still remember the first thing they would say is ,it will kill a bear.lol I never did any bear hunting until I was about 11 or 12 .but by the time I was about in the first grade ,I got to eat steak for the first time ,it was bear steak ,LOL the more I chewed it the bigger and bigger it got.I decided right then I'd stick to coon hunting .a coon is better tasting and a sight more tender that a ol stinky bear.thanks for the cushaw video ,I'm gonna fix my Mother some this summer.Lord willing and probably can some to have this winter,also.

We always pronounced it “Coosa” lol funny how everywhere has a slight difference in the pronunciation.

That's smart flattening the bags out. Like you mentioned, it leaves a lot more room in the freezer for your other things. 😊

I’ve never seen a cushaw squash! I will try to find seeds and grow some! Thank you Tipper❤

I live in West Virginia and I really enjoy your channel. I grew up with cushaw. I remember one year we had so many cushaws we sold some and gave away most. I remember my dad would get the hatchet and cut some that really had a tough skin. I usually just peel mine and cook it with a little sugar and butter. It is a hit we love them. Most people don't know you can eat them...lol. Thank you.

Impressive! We have never grown kushaw, but usually have plenty of butternuts and pumpkins. Need to grow kushaw now...

Freezing them that way also makes them thaw out faster. Another great video. God Bless.

Howdy from the northern end of the Appalachian trail. We bake and freeze our squash too. People don't realize that canned pumpkin in the store is mostly Hubbard and other winter squash pureed. I think our homemade squash tastes better cause we bake it and bring out the natural sugars and even caramelize them a little. Our methods: We cut the fresh squash up a bit smaller than you, maybe 3" x 6" chunks and place them either on edge or skin up on a cooling rack in a cookie sheet. The size and orientation of the squash gets the liquid flowing and some place to go rather than pool in the skin, the rack keeps the squash out of the liquid once it comes out and the cookie sheet catches all the drippings. When it is all tender with a few brown edges let cool enough and process it the way you want for your liking then bag and freeze it up flat so it stacks. However, it is disappointing to go through all the trouble to freeze bags only find your stuff freezer burnt when you go to use it. We have found the less air you have in the bag the less chance there is for it to become freezer burnt. The bag trick you showed is the way to go. But you can bring that trick to the next level, with a technique of closing, that will make it last for years in the freezer with little to no freezer burn. A tip for bag freezing: If you hold the bag on edge, seal up, like normal and tap it on the counter a couple times, careful to get the air out of the two bottom corners, that burps any air bubbles out of the squash. Next seal all but the last corner of the bag and stick your index finger in the remaining seal opening. Lay the bag flat on the counter and put your thumb of that same hand on the seal in front of your finger. This is to prevent the bag from unsealing while you work the rest of the air out of the bag. Next with your other hand, push down on the squash to get the squash juices to chase the all the air left in the bag from the squash to your finger. If you need to, push the squash first to the opposite corner that your finger in the bag is at, being careful to chase all the air out especially from the corner. Bring the squash around all the way to your finger in the seal. Then pull your finger out, give the squash the last little push, and seal the bag with your thumb all in one smooth movement. Your bag should be air free. Flatten the sealed bags and freeze. We did a 50 pound Hubbard squash like that and stored it in our little chest freezer with room to spare. We ate off that as pies, breads, and soups for three years and the last bag looked and tasted as good as the first because there was no air in the bags when they were froze.

My mom makes cushaw butter,have no idea how she does it I just like eatin it,so good on a biscuit!! She'll be making it soon and I can't wait,love your vids Sis,keep it up!!

I did not even know what this squash was. I grew a huge variety of squash and pumpkins. Some did not make it, and this was one of the ones that did. I didn't even know what it was. Now I am so excited to try it. And grow more for next year, ;-)

We had never had cushaw until this evening. I had bought a huge cushaw at the farmer's market so I only roasted about 1/4 of it. I put olive oil on pan, peeled and cubed the cushaw. Seasoned with more olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh garlic. Baked at 350* for about 45 minutes. It was SO good that even the teens and the 10 year old went back for seconds! Trust me when I tell you I'm saving the seeds!

I am getting ready to peel & cook part of one of mine this morning . Once you grow them , you will always have them . The easiest way I have found to peel them is with a good vegetable peeler . Works much better for me than using a knife . That way , you stand it up , & peel the entire thing @ one time . My favorite way to cook them is to cut it in cubes , saute in coconut oil , turning the cubes till it browns on all , season with cinnamon & butter . Sometimes I drizzle maple syrup or honey over it . add a few walnuts & dried coconut ~ YUMMY ! I like the idea of baking it , if you want to freeze it . I have canned it , but was not 100% happy with it .

My Mrs makes zucchini boats ! They look like a Gondola ,hollowed out and baked with sweet sausage,ground beef, pasta sauce .Good eating ! I ve never seen a Cushaw Squash before this video ,not that I recall anyhow!

I must admit I was spooked when you were putting the tip in and the underside of your forearm was in line with the blade. I use a cleaver and mallet when cutting up Butternut squash. Freezing the bags flat would decrease thawing time when you're ready to use them. Great video.

Cushaw freezes great and makes the most wonderful pies. Thank you for this video.

Growing up in Mississippi, we called them "coo-shaw". We didn't grow them in our garden, but one of my daddy's friends did and they would share with us each fall. Mama made cushaw pies which were as much a treat as my grandmama's coconut cake and ambrosia at Christmas. I'm anxious to try more recipes, especially the pumpkin rolls you mentioned. Living in Kentucky for the past 30 years has felt much like my Mississippi growing-up years and has become more than an adopted home. Thank you for sharing.

I’m from Tuscaloosa Alabama, and my husband was transferred with his job to north eastern Tennessee. While we were living there a neighbor introduced me to the curshaw squash. I feel in the with it! I made pies with mine! They always turned out so good, every time!

I’m growing cushaw for the first time this year. I remember my grandmother loved cushaw and it was a real treat when she was given one. I planted a hill of cushaw this year to remind me of her.. I will probably purée some and freeze it for pies, or maybe can some chunks

I usually freeze some of my squash puree (I use an immersion blender in the bowl) and dehydrate the rest. It's a little bit more work, but when freezer space is at a premium it's a huge space saver. I usually let the puree drain in a fine mesh strainer/ jelly bag for a couple hours, then spread two cups onto an Excalibur tray lined with a nonstick sheet (or parchment or plastic wrap, whatever). Depending on the humidity and how much water came out when I strained it, it takes 8-12 hours+ to dry down to crispy. I use the drained water to cook rice or in soup or bread.

That was a big beautiful cushaw! Very yummy also....be great this fall and winter to have those pies and rolls! Thanks tipper....God bless...🙏

Hot dog AM. I the first one. How bout that. Never eat that kinda squash just yellow squash. But my grandmother raised gords. I don't know she just did I think way back yunder they actually used them for jugs. And laddles. She always had a pretty good sized garden. And apples and plums trees too. Thanks always enjoy your videos. And such,, y'all take care,,,

Thanks for sharing your wonderful tips! I've never grown these, but if I had seeds, I definitely would. Blessings!

Thanks Tipper! My FiLaw has been wanting cushaw and I didn’t know what to do with it! Now I know!

Didn't know about that squash thought it was in the gourd family until now , plan on being familiar with it next fall thanks for walking us through it!

I enjoyed the video about cushaw squash and how we just like to admire them. About ten years ago we bought one in Pigeon Forge while on a trip, and all we ever did with it was decorate for fall! So I really appreciate your showing me what I could’ve done with it. The inside looks a little like a acorn squash. I like your videos very much, I think I’ve watched every one. I like the little talk about determination, you’re an inspiration.

Interesting. Thank you for sharing us. I've always wondered about some of these large squash. God bless all here.

I've never heard of this squash before, but I came across some seeds so I'm getting ready to plant them. I'm good at growing stuff, but not so good at cooking. I'll try to get my wife to watch this.

I had a few nice Butternut Squash this year. I regret not planting some Cushaws after seeing your masterpiece.

I've been doing pumpkin and hubbard squash for years but excited to freeze and eat cushaw this year. I run mine through a food processor and use for pies, soups, bread and 2 cups added to chili gives it a nice sweetness with additional vitamins!

I've never had that kind of squash but I'll be looking for it now! Thank you Tipper.

I just grew my first this year because I love to fall decorate. I'm now going to try cooking one. Thanks for the info. In Mississippi.

I've never had that, but I love all squash, I cook pumpkin and season with meat drippings salt and pepper. Love it.

The cushaw looks so nice after you get it prepared for the freezer.I can just imagine those delicious pies and bread that you'll be baking. I'm going to need to save me a space in the garden for me some cushaw squash next spring. Thanks Once Again Tipper For Sharing Your Food Preserving Ideas 🙂.

Thank you for this information. This is my first year growing cushaw and I have 8 squash out in my garden. It's just my husband and me. I have 3 squash already promised to friends so I need to figure out how to preserve this. I'll be saving seeds for next year and roasting some both. Thanks again for showing me how to do this.

Bought one in the Carolinas one year and used it in my pumpkin bread and I enjoyed it more than the pumpkin.

Growing several cushaws this year. Harvested the first one ever, yesterday. Looking for recipes. Thanks

I always put parchment paper down and the clean up is super easy. Then we if the paper isn't too far gone we use it to start the wood burner, smells super good.

I make pies and bread with cushaw. I prepare them a little different than you do but I get a lot of compliments on how good they are. Enjoyed your video.

I want to thank you for sharing the book,Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread & Scuppernong Wine. I'm still reading the Forward and just know I'm going to enjoy this book. I ordered it and received it today.

Wonderful information, never have had or grown cushaw, but I bought one from a farmers market this year and I'm going to do something with it. Can't wait!!!!

Love 💕 cushaw. I use an ice cream scoop to get the seed scooped out. Works great!

I stopped cutting up my large squash before cooking 20 years ago. I just wash the outside of my squash off and throw the whole thing in the oven on a sheet pan and cook them in a low oven until they're done. I let them cool off some before I pull them open and scrape the seeds and flesh out. Tonight I made a butternut squash and apple cobbler it was delicious. I grew a heirloom variety of butternut that are small, maybe about a half pound each , they taste almost like sweet potatoes.

I wash mine, then split it in half, clean the seed core out and bake it flesh side down with a little water in the pan. Easy to scoop out, measure and freeze. I will also flip it over and pour melted butter with cinnamon and sugar, vegies for dinner.

Thanks much! Watched this video before cutting up Cushaw for the first time. Making Cushaw pie! 🥧

This is inspirational! Will be hoping for next summer! To try to grow one of those!

Never used cushaw but am going to try your method of processing. Thanks so much.

planted cushaw for the first time this year. so looking forward to tasting it's goodness.

Thanks for this video!! I have a freeze dryer, and will put the food-processed, freeze dried squash in Mylar bags.

Wow! That is one huge squash! I saw one similar to that one, at the grocery store. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a squash like this 🙂

Thank You for the information on storing this is my first year of growing Cushaw and trying it

I'd like to see how you organize your freezer. When you're putting up a variety of things year after year (plus deer meat and such) it can get a little overwhelming if you're not an organized person or if you're just starting out and need direction.

I am going to use this squash this winter. I'd never heard of this before and my contact that grows food has some!

Love cushaw pie! We just call it squash pie. Reminds me of home and my Momma…. I’ve got 2 I’m getting ready to process tomorrow!

Thank you for sharing your beautiful culture!

Thank u for your tips. We’re about to have our first experience with cushaw and this has been very helpful

I re-watched this episode tonight because I stopped at a farm market and bought a cushaw. I was so excited to try them because of watching your video. I am going to process this one next weekend and save it for Thanksgiving pies. I'll see if my family can tell the difference.

Im a new scriber love your shows...learn soo much. I truly respect your culture.

We like cushaw as the main ingredient in a squash soup. Many recipes for soups of “winter squash” can be found.

Mam I have never heard of cushaw before today but I will be on the lookout at the farmers market here in New Jersey...I also LOVE the technique you use to store/freeze and will be using it on many things!!

This is great thanks! We grew Cushaws for the first time this year. Can't wait to make pies. We pronounce it (coo-shaw). It is not even august yet and our cushaws are huge!

Beautiful squash. We love squash as well.

Cushaw surely sounds like a Cherokee word. That looks so good.

Thank you. I love squash with salt & pepper and butter.