This small oblong squash was introduced in 1894 by the Peter Henderson Company of New York. Although a very popular home garden variety, the delicata's delicate nature and sweet flavor were almost lost because it was considered commercially unfeasible to grow. Its thin skin made it difficult to ship and its lower yields did not make the grade for mono-crop agriculture. It has since been improved--and has won over lovers of sweet winter squash everywhere. Note: this is the vining form of Delicata Squash--not the bush-habit variety. It forms small- to medium-length vines. See Cornell's Bush Delicata Squash for the true bush-habit type.
