Kars Egg is an exceptional summer squash from Kars of Northeast Turkey. Fruits have the size and shape of an egg. Fruit size ranges from a chicken egg to a duck egg. Prolific plants have small leaves and vine but they don’t take a lot of space. Fruits should be harvested as soon as they reach the size of an egg for the best eating quality.
Seeds of this amazing summer squash were originally collected by the USDA’s plant collector and agronomist Jack Harlan in late 1940’s from a seed dealer in Iğdır Province of Kars. Iğdır is on the border of Turkey and Armenia, and Kars Yumurtası was probably very popular in Armenian villages back in time.
We received a lot of positive feedback about this squash’s flavor. We love slicing young fruits with skin intact to stir fry them with garlic and olive oil to make a delicious side dish.
Our current seed stock was grown by Tom Wahlberg of Decorah, IA. He was one of the former seed house managers of Seed Savers Exchange.
Packet has min. 20 seeds
Commercially introduced by us in the U.S.
Phonetically pronounced: cars yoa-moore-ta-suh
- Cucurbita pepo
- Full sun
- Planting depth: 1/2-1″
- Sprouts in 5-10 days
- Ideal growing temperature: 70-90F
- Plant spacing: 18-36″
- Frost hardy: No
- Growth habit: Vining
- Growing tips: Direct-seed summer squash seeds in compost-rich, fertile and well-drained soil after last frost in spring. Water regularly at flowering stage. Mulch at plant base to retain soil moisture during growth. Watch for squash bugs and vine borers. Vining summer squash varieties require a lot of space to crawl. Winter squash thrives in warm weather.
Peter M. (verified owner) –
Fun and easy to grow but little or no value in cooking in my kitchen. Maybe there is a specific recipe from Turkey. For me, any other summer squash had better flavor and texture. Good germination. Pest resistant.
Beverly Green (verified owner) –
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Prolific producer
Katherine M. (verified owner) –
Joe (verified owner) –
Can you please verify the botanical name of this squash? is it in the cucurbita family? maxima, moschata or pepo?
chance2012 –
Hello Joe,
This is a pepo. Thanks!
Joe (verified owner) –
I unfortunately let them go too long, they are pretty but now quite hard. Wondering if there are any recipes using the fruit at this late stage? pickling perhaps?
chance2012 –
Hello Joe! It would be great if you harvested them as soon as the fruits reach a size that is a little larger than a chicken egg. Fruits will be hard to process if you wait too long.