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Where to buy heirloom winter squash?
Where to buy heirloom winter squash?

Where in Toronto can one buy any kind of heirloom winter squash; for example, a Blue Hubbard, Moranga, or Australian Blue pumpkin?

If you don't know what that is, let me ask you this: Have you seen any hard-skinned squash in an unusual color or shape and can't identify it? That is what we are looking for.

Some great heirloom squashes: Queensland Blue, Moranga Pumpkins, Blue Hubbard

Please suggest supermarkets, grocery stores, big box, corner stores where you have seen a squash. Posting a photo of the fruit and tagging the name of the store (and location) is the fastest way to do this.

More examples of heirloom winter squash and more are here: Pumpkin and Winter Squash Variety Guide

Answer: We went to every fresh fruit market we could from Bloor to Queen to find a source of heirloom squash. Here are the results as of December 1, 2017:

Best selection: The store was in Kensington (Kensington Ave & St Andrew St). There was ambercup, delicata, butterkin, a sweet meat type and more. Squash were offered cut into quarter pieces priced $0.50 - $1, or as whole squash. These varieties were small, 1-3 lbs. There was a long neck butternut and kabocha that were larger (4-5 lbs).

Biggest pumpkin: Corner of Baldwin & Kensington. Huge fairytale pumpkins 15-30 lbs for around $0.80 / lb. This store also sold common squash in small sizes: spaghetti, buttercup.

At most stores, Musquee de Provence (fairytale) pumpkin was found cut into pieces for sale.

Best deal: Lucky Moose mart on Dundas & Beverley. Butternut going for $0.49 / lb, buttercup for $0.79 / lb. Mostly 4 lbs squashes. Some large buttercup on reduced sale cut open for $1.50 each.

Note: When we say "buttercup" we actually are talking about a variety more similar to kabocha, but is commonly known as buttercup. See the difference here: Kabocha vs Buttercup Kabocha vs Buttercup

kabocha, sold as  buttercup and Ontario acorns

November 6: Freshco - acorn for $0.19/lb and buttercup for $0.25/lb.

2018