| Description | Gete Okosomin (Cucurbita maxima) is a heritage squash. It is orange, banana-shaped, with thick, lighter orange flesh. It was discovered circa 2008 at an archeological dig in Wisconsin, USA, and dated to about 800 years old. |
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| Pronunciation | (koo-KER-bih-ta) (MAKS-ih-muh) |
| Plant Type | Edibles Vegetables, Edible Fruit |
| Sunlight | full |
| Moisture | average |
| Soil & Site | average |
| Temperature | likes warmer weather |
| Fruit | large, banana-shaped, orange, and somewhat striped, can reach 30 lbs |
| Dimensions | 2-3 plus feet long vines |
| Propagation | seeds, 1/2 to 1 inch deep, can be started in degradable, plantable pots |
| Cultivar Origin | "The seeds were discovered on First Nation Land in Wisconsin, USA, in a clay vessel about the size of a tennis ball. Were found by students from Winnipeg’s Canadian Mennonite University in 2008. It was carbon-dated to about 850 years old." (Art-Net) "A different story about this squash is the variety of squash reported in this tale comes from the saved seed of members of the Miami Nation of Indiana. The seeds were gifted to David Wrone, an emeritus professor at the University of Wisconsin. Although the seeds have not been stored underground in a clay pot for 800 years, they have been grown and saved by the Miami Nation for over 5,000 years." (University of Florida Extension) |
| Misc Facts | Gete Okosomin, which means “cool old squash” in Anishinaabe, an indigenous Canadian language. |
| Notes & Reference | Art-Net (news.artnet.com/art-world/extinct-squash-revived-370727news.artnet.com/art-world/extinct-squash-revived-370727), University of Florida Extension (nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2016/02/24/big-old-squash-gete-okosomin-unearthed-in-Wisconsin/) |
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