Squash, Winter - Butternut Waltham - Sweet, Nutty Taste - New

Despite being an essential autumn staple, the butternut squash is actually a relative newcomer—it was invented in the 1940s by an amateur gardener in Massachusetts.   

• An Insurance Agent's Passion Project: In 1944, Charles Leggett—an executive at John Hancock Insurance—purchased an old farm in Stow, Massachusetts. Annoyed that popular winter squashes like the Hubbard were too massive to fit in a normal family refrigerator and too tough to slice, he decided to breed a smaller, more practical variety in his backyard.   
• The "Gooseneck" Experiment: Leggett crossed a gangly, awkward-looking gooseneck squash with other varieties to create a smooth, bell-bottomed squash with a long neck that was easy to peel and pack with dense flesh.   
• Origin of the Name: When Leggett brought his creation to agricultural researchers at the nearby Waltham Field Station, he was asked what he called it. He remarked that the flesh was "smooth as butter and sweet as a nut," giving birth to the name "Butternut".   
• The "Waltham" Controversy: The researchers refined Leggett's variety and officially released it as the "Waltham Butternut". While it became a global commercial success, Leggett never received patent royalties or full credit on the label. However, the land where he bred it in Stow is now the Butternut Farm Golf Course.   
• South Africa's National Obsession: After seed exports took off in the mid-20th century, the butternut squash became extraordinarily popular in South Africa. Butternut squash soup is now widely considered one of South Africa's national comfort foods.