Cucurbita argyrosperma — the silver seed squash, or cushaw — is a Mesoamerican staple with deep roots in the traditional agriculture of Mexico and Central America. Its light-green and cream-striped fruits, with their distinctive crooknecked shape, are milder in flavor than butternut and well suited to soups, stews, and roasting. The name argyrosperma refers to the seeds, which are indeed noticeably pale and flattish, and edible when toasted.

This is a vigorous annual vine that makes the most of warm soils and long growing seasons. Unlike many squash, it shows reasonable tolerance for moderately poor or clay-heavy ground, which makes it useful in gardens where amendment is difficult. Sow seeds after the last frost with the soil fully warm, give plants room to sprawl, and harvest the fruits before the first autumn freeze. The flesh can be a little watery but sweetens considerably with baking, and the seeds reward minimal effort: roast them with salt and they disappear quickly.