Buttercup Buttercup O Butter Butter Butter

As mentioned in an earlier post, the previous tenant of our house planted a garden. Having a garden is a mainstay for many Kiwis. Among the lettuce and spinach in our garden were some veggies we couldn't identify. For weeks we watched as the vine grew and lengthened. We anticipated harvesting some type of squash and we knew that Kiwis were big on pumpkin, so we assumed it was pumpkin. Now, pumpkin here is far different than the Jack-0-lantern most of us grew up with. Kiwi's eat pumpkin year-round and make all sorts of lovely dishes with it. This, dear friends, is a buttercup--a type of pumpkin. Now, farmers in the Hawkes Bay (where we live) grow 40% of New Zealand's squash exports. In fact one of Riverbend's elders exports his crop to Japan. He's not alone. Currently, 84% of New Zealand's export buttercup squash production is supplied to Japan, 15% to Korea. So, what on earth do I do with these things? I gave the first away, but I have two more and the vine is loaded. Guess I'll have to discover some recipe uses or just roast and enjoy with butter. (I think I'll be giving more away).