Canning Hubbard Squash – Why You Should too!

Check out this beast, this alien pod, this monster…. OK – this Hubbard squash we picked up at the farmer’s market. Isn’t it a beauty? Well, not exactly. But for the cost of it, and what we got out of it – it absolutely is! Despite it’s weird appearance, the Hubbard squash is actually known in most of our homes. It may sound odd, but 90% of you store bought canned pumpkin is actually Hubbard and people tend to prefer it for the flavor, texture and everything we attribute to pumpkins. Now, this bad boy – all 40 lbs of it – only cost me $8 at the farmers market. I canned and processed it into pint jars (each is equivalent to 1 store bought can of pumpkin) and wound up with 33 pint jars. That means each jar of “canned pumpkin” only cost me 24 cents. I think it’s definitely worth the time and effort on this one! We just ran out of our home canned pumpkin, and our shelves needed restocked.

Some notes on the Hubbard Squash:

• it’s skin is tougher and unlike pumpkin will not wilt in the oven. Instead it gets harder while the flesh gets soft, and it begins to look even more alien!
• The flesh isn’t as stringy as pumpkin, so it will squish easier when pushing it into your jars. Try to keep this to a minimum. Although this is one of the qualities that makes it ideal for pies, purees shouldn’t be canned.
• it looks like a science experiment in the jar! I don’t know if there’s a way to make this prettier or not, but reality is, it still tastes good.
• this will be an all day project. Besides fitting it in your oven, each half is going to take 2-3 hours to bake, and then you have to pressure can the results. Yes, it’s more work than shopping for canned pumpkin, but it’s worth it in the long run.

Ingredients:

• 1 large Hubbard Squash
• 2-3 Tbsp butter melted

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees, and line your cookie sheets with aluminum foil. Set aside.
2. Cut your Hubbard Squash into large chunks. The skin is so hard you may need someone to do this for you, and I’ve heard of others taking band saws to them. We used a regular chef knife to do it.
3. Clean and gut your squash.
4. Brush any edge of the cut squash that will be touching the foil with butter and place on the prepared cookie sheets.
5. Adjust your oven racks and place one half in the oven. Bake for 2-3 hours or until the flesh is soft
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool to the point you can handle the squash.
7. With a knife, carefully remove the cook squash from the skin and cut into 1 inch pieces. Place into sterile jars and top with hot water.
8. Repeat with remaining half of squash.
9. Can and process with the method below.

Canning Instructions: 

1. Place 33 clean pint mason jars on a rack in your stock pot – you may have to process 6 at a time. Fill the jars and a stock pot with cool water until it completely covers the top of the jars. Cover and put on medium heat. Simmer but do not boil.
2. Prepare 33 lid sets, put the bands aside and put the flat lids in a small sauce pan and put on medium heat. Do not boil, but keep warm through the whole process.
3. Prepare your squash to the directions above.
4. Now, remove the jars from the warm bath. Tip them as you pull them out and pour the water back into the pan. Place them on a towel on the counter with the opening up. Do not dry them! Just put them down and put the funnel in. Fill each jar with your 1 inch chunks of pumpkin. Pour hot water in each jar until there is 1 inch head space.
5. Take the small magnet tool and remove flat lids from their hot bath. Place over top of each jar. By hand screw on the collars, but not too tight! Remember some air still needs to get out of each jar.
6. Place your wrack inside your pressure canner, and set your filled jars on top. Pour in 2-3 inches of hot water. Close your lid.
7. On Medium-High Heat wait until your canner begins to let steam out of the vent. Allow the steam to vent for 10 minutes, then switch to the 2 position. Wait until steam starts coming out again.
8. Process for 55 minutes. After 55 minutes are done, turn off the heat and wait for the canner to depressurize.
9. Once the canner is safe to open, open away from you so any extra steam will not hit your face. Remove your cans and put them on a clean towel to set. Wait for those lovely “pop”s to know your cans have properly sealed! Let them rest 12-24 hours before moving or using. Store in a cool, dark area.

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