Banquet produces flattened fruit measuring 6-8" long and 6-8" wide, weighing 3.5 to 6.5 pounds. It was the winner of our 2015 squash taste trials.

Every year, our Preservation team selects 1,000 seeds from our vault to grow out and evaluate. From this pool, they identify varieties with good performance, exceptional taste, and have a history of story. These seeds are introduced in our catalog as the Heritage Farm Collection as limited edition seeds. It takes a special seed to be included in this collection. This year, we are excited to offer a sneak peek of one of the 2017 varieties at the Harvest Festival. But what's better than a sneak peak? A sneak taste.

We challenged local chefs to create a soup recipe that incorporates the Banquet Squash from the 2017 Heritage Farm Collection. The chefs will showcase their recipes in a soup cook-off at the Harvest Festival and visitors will get to taste and vote for their favorite.

The Banquet squash was a favorite in evaluation taste tests in 2015 with its smooth, buttery-sweet flesh. It was selected to be grown out in 2016 and will be offered in the 2017 catalog. The variety was donated by Seed Savers Exchange member Robert Kennedy of Michigan. Banquet was introduced in 1936 by the Oscar Will Seed Company. It was bred by crossing Buttercup and Gilmore squash. But the Banquet squash has been absent since at least 1981 and we are pleased to reintroduce it to the U.S. seed trade.

Don't miss this opportunity for a sneak peek/taste of this rare variety.