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Cucurbita Pepo

The winter squash first made its appearance in cultivated areas of the world in 2500 B.C., from the eastern parts of the United States and Canada. Characterized by a huge ribbed gourd that remains mostly green when mature, C.pepo thrives in the northern regions of Ethiopia. The squash also goes under such acronyms as true squash or winter squash. Because of the poor road network in the region, farmers have to make do with the incentive of outside help, which is where suppliers like us come in to assist them to sell their produce.

We source our Ethiopia squash from various locations in the country including the northern hamlet of Mechare in the Woldiya district of agricultural Amhara. The locals also use the C. pepo variety for deworming, by drinking its juice that is rich in antioxidant content.

Cucurbita Maxima

The first evidence of what is common as pumpkin was 2000 years ago in South America in traditional communities. It had existed many years earlier as one of the wild squash plants. Yellowish in color and perhaps the best known growing squash in the world, Cucurbita maxima , also by the name gourd or pumpkin, grows in the southern areas of Ethiopia. As a small plant, the leaves and foliage grow like a bush but in mature condition, vines develop. Fruits form at the end of the multiple vines and hang, sometimes to the ground level. These fruits are the largest in the cucurbita family, sometimes reaching over 300 kilograms per fruit.

We source our Ethiopia cucurbita maxima squash from the Gemeda district in the northern tip of Ethiopia. Like other family growers of the Tigray state, many farmers of this squash intercrop it with other food crops such as maize and onions. Its main purpose is for food and for its medicinal properties of fighting tape worm.

Summer Squash/Courgette/Zuccini

Another part of the Cucurbita pepo family, zucchini is a squash that is available in southern Ethiopia at sizes of at least 15 centimeters, when it is still immature. It can attain 100 centimeters in length if the farmer leaves it to grow untended. It, however, undergoes harvesting while still tender, in its green elongated shape. Its origin is both select northern and southern American regions in unknown times, but the first evidence of the modern zucchini grew first in north Italy in the 1850s. It first appeared there from explorers to South America in the 1600s.

We source our Ethiopia summer squash from the southern regions of Ethiopia. Here, farmers cultivate it in an intercropping format next to coffee, maize and even sugar cane. The crop is highly productive, with each bushy stem producing around 12 fruits.

Butternut Squash (Cucurbita moschata)

With an origin in the central parts of the Americas, butternut squash is just a variety of the larger Cucurbita moschata family. Unlike the other varieties of this genus which are round, brownish and pumpkin-like, the butternut variety is elongated like courgette . It comes in a yellowish brown color. When split open, it features a yellow flesh with a few seeds on either side of the cut section.

It features commonly in the pumpkin dish known locally as Yedubba Wat. It consists of the prepared gourd together with spices like hot chili peppers, cardamon and onions.

Packing

We pack different types of Ethiopia squash immediately after harvest to maintain freshness. For the longer-growing, hardened winter squash, (C. Pepo), we pack by grades of firmness and size. Each fruit goes into 1 1/9 bushel produce box. For all other summer squashes, including zucchini, we keep them also by grade, determined by size and healthy appearance. We pack them in half-a-bushel produce boxes. In order to reduce the incidence of damage, we keep the stem side of the elongated squash next to the surfaces of the walls of the cartons.

Thus, if you are seeking the best Ethiopia squash from the north or southern parts of the country, you can count on us. Our produce comes from family grower farms where the crops grow with others like coffee for nutritional exchange. Our prices are among the best in the market. We handle the gourds carefully from harvest to delivery to ensure you receive quality, firm, bruise-free produce. For more information or to make an order, get in touch today!