Ken Ettlinger grew up on Long Island in the 1950s, where his family would pick up a cheese pumpkin so his mother could make Thanksgiving pie. In the 1970s, Ken noticed that the once common squash—one of the oldest cultivated in America—was becoming a rare find. He didn't want the pies to become just a memory, so he started saving seeds. Due to this local seed steward's efforts and the work of the Long Island Regional Seed Consortium and Glynwood’s Kitchen Cultivars, these pumpkins are here to stay!

Linked to cheese through appearance only, the Long Island Cheese Pumpkin has been revered for centuries thanks to its smooth flesh and string-less interior (not to mention the high nutrient content). It's one of the oldest squashes domesticated for food, which we think speaks well for its taste and grow-ability. Choose this cheese-wheel-like squash for your autumn sweets and buck the canned stuff once and for all!

Our founder Ken Greene helped ensure that the Long Island Cheese Pumpkin made it to the Slow Foods US Ark of Taste, a catalog of over 200 delicious foods in danger of extinction. By promoting, sowing, and growing Ark products we help ensure they remain in production and on our plates.

About Art Seed Packs: Each year, Hudson Valley Seeds commissions contemporary artists from around the United States to tell the story of a particular seed variety. That art and those seeds combine to create an Art Pack, a unique celebration of the diverse stories of seeds and their stewards.