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Winter Squash
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Winter Squash Varieties
Winter squash comes in
shapes round and elongated, scalloped and pear-shaped with flesh
that ranges from golden-yellow to brilliant orange. Most winter
squashes are vine-type plants whose fruits are harvested when fully
mature. They take longer to mature than summer squash (3 months or
more) and are best harvested once the cool weather of fall sets in.
They can be stored for months in a cool basement-hence the name
"winter" squash.
Acorn Squash
Green Acorn Squash
White Acorn Squash
Buttercup Squash
Carnival Squash
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Acorn Squash
Green Acorn Squash
White Acorn Squash
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A type of winter squash
resembling an acorn in shape
and typically measuring up
to six inches in length.
Acorn squash can be found in
varieties with coloring of
dark green, white and gold.
The most common variety has
a dark green ridged outer
skin and a deep yellow to
orange flesh. The Golden
variety has a pumpkin orange
colored skin with the
traditional orange inner
flesh. They are delicious
when baked with brown sugar,
honey, and butter, providing
a sweet and somewhat nutty
flavor. Smaller individual
squash are also commonly
served whole, stuffed with
ingredients such as sausage,
bread, vegetables, and
seasonings that may have
been baked once and then
again inside the squash so
it is served as a "stuffed
squash". |
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Buttercup Squash
 |
A winter squash, typically
weighing 5 to 7 pounds, that
is round in shape and grows
with a very distinctive
protruding ring around the
flower end opposite the stem
end. Dark green with narrow
grey stripes, the thin outer
skin surrounds a rich,
sweet-flavored, somewhat
nutty tasting orange flesh
that is fine-grained, creamy
textured and dense in
consistency. This squash can
be stuffed, baked or
microwaved to be served in
soups, casseroles, pumpkin
pie or as a side dish. When
stored in a cool dry area it
can be kept for months if
not opened. |
Butternut Squash
 |
A long, pear-shaped squash
with a tan skin and orange,
sweetly flavored flesh. It
is one of the most popular
winter squashes and is also
known as the pumpkin squash. |
Carnival Squash
 |
A small to medium sized
squash ranging in diameter
from 5 to 7 inches. Round
and hard skinned, the inner,
somewhat stringy flesh has a
mellow, but sweet flavor
similar to sweet potatoes.
This squash can be baked,
pureed, or steamed to be
served as a side dish
seasoned with butter and
herbs, or used as a base for
soups and stews. |
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Delicata Squash
 |
A long oblong-shaped squash
with a cream colored, green
striped thick outer skin and
a golden fine-textured inner
flesh. Size may range from 5
to 10 inches in length. The
squash can be baked or
steamed and served as a side
dish seasoned with butter
and herbs. When preparing in
an oven, cut the squash in
half by cutting down the
length of the oblong shape.
Place the squash with the
skin side down in a dish
with 1/2 inch of water.
Cover the dish and bake for
1/2 to 3/4 hour at 375
degrees. In a microwave,
cook for approximately 20
minutes in a dish with a
loose cover of plastic wrap.
This squash is available
year round, but best during
August to October. |
Golden Nugget Squash
 |
A variety of winter squash,
which is sometimes referred
to as an Oriental pumpkin
that has the appearance of a
small pumpkin in shape and
color. It ranges in size
from one to three pounds.
The outer flesh is thick and
as the squash matures, it
changes from a glossy orange
to a duller orange
appearance, which indicates
that it is ready to harvest.
The meat inside is pale
yellow in color and limited
in volume, but it provides a
flavorful meal when cooked. |
Heart of Gold Squash
 |
An early winter squash that
combines a sweet dumpling
with an acorn squash to
produce a small acorn shaped
vegetable. The outer skin is
cream colored with dark
green stripes covering a
fine-grained inner flesh
that is orange when ripe.
This squash has a sweet rich
flavor and can be baked,
mashed or steamed. Store in
a cool dry place for up to 6
months. |
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Hubbard Squash
Baby Blue Hubbard
Squash
Blue Hubbard Squash
Green Hubbard Squash |
A winter squash with a thick
bumpy skin that may range in
color from grayish-blue
(Baby-blue and blue hubbard)
to green (Green hubbard) to
bright orange (Golden
hubbard). The Baby-blue
hubbard is a small squash
while the Green, Blue and
Golden are large in size.
The yellow fine-grained
flesh has the best flavor
when it is baked or boiled
and then mashed with butter,
herbs, and spices or brown
sugar to enhance the flavor
of a variety that may be
typically bland tasting. The
squash can be served as a
side dish, used as a base
for soups and purees, or
made into pumpkin pie
filling. It can be stored
for long periods if it is
kept in a cool place. |
Kabocha Squash
 |
A pumpkin shaped winter
squash. It has a rich, sweet
flavor and when cooked its
texture resembles that of a
tender potato. Kabocha
squash weighs an average of
three pounds and has spotted
or blotchy dark green skin.
It can be baked, steamed,
stuffed or pureed. Works
well as a substitution in
recipes that call for
pumpkin or sweet potatoes.
Kabocha is generally
available all year round.
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Orangetti Squash |
An oblong-shaped squash that
is a variety of the
spaghetti squash. It has a
tan to yellow thick-skinned
outer shell with a tapered
oval shape. Inside the hard
outer skin there is a
fibrous flesh that provides
a very delicate and mellow
flavor. This squash can be
baked or boiled until the
flesh is soft for the
strands to be removed. It
can be served as a side
dish, as part of a
casserole, or mixed into a
salad. When served similar
to pasta, it can be
complemented with a buttered
sauce and served hot or
cold. Orangetti squash is
available from August to
October. |
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Pumpkin
 |
A winter squash with orange
skin and flesh. Their size
can range from very small to
very large, close to 1000
lbs. The larger pumpkins are
generally grown only for
size and are not used as a
food. The sweet flesh of the
pumpkin is used in baking,
often pies, but is also used
in puddings, soups, savory
dishes and stuffing. In the
United States the pumpkin is
popular to use for
ornamental purposes, such as
jack-o'-lanterns for
Halloween. They are
generally available in late
September through October.
Canned pumpkin puree is also
available in grocery stores
or can be made from fresh
pumpkin. |
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Red Etampes Squash
 |
A short, stout pumpkin
squash that is a true field
pumpkin and an heirloom
variety of squash native to
France. Known also as a
Potiron rouge vi d'Etampes,
a Rouge D'Etampes or a
Cinderella pumpkin, this
squash is used as both an
edible and an ornamental
squash. The traditional Red
Etampes has a smoother outer
skin, reddish-orange in
color with some irregular
bumps on the surface. The
squash may be fully matured
with a full orange coloring
or have an orange background
with green strips running up
the ribs. Inside there is a
meaty deep yellow flesh,
firm in texture which is
somewhat bland tasting. The
Red Etampes is a good squash
to combine with other foods
or its taste should be
enhanced with other flavors,
such as brown sugar and
butter. |
Red Kuri Squash
 |
A thick-skinned orange
colored squash that has the
appearance of an oblong
pumpkin without the ridges.
Inside the hard outer skin
there is a firm flesh that
provides a very delicate and
mellow flavor similar to the
taste of chestnuts. This
squash is available year
round and can be baked,
braised, pureed, or steamed
to be served as a side dish
or used as a base for soups.
Also known as Orange
Hokkaido or Uchiki Kuri
squash. |
Spaghetti Squash
 |
A winter squash whose flesh,
when cooked, forms
translucent spaghetti-like
strands that have a mild
flavor. It can be cooked by
baking, boiling and
steaming. Spaghetti squash
is available throughout the
year but is best September
through February. When
selecting, choose those with
smooth skins, avoiding those
with soft spots. The larger
the squash, the thicker the
strands. Store squash in a
cool dry place and it should
keep for a month or more.
Spaghetti squash will not
keep quite as long as some
of the other winter
squashes. |
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Stripetti Squash |
A large oval shaped green
and tan colored squash that
has a watermelon appearance
in shape and color. It is a
cross between the Delicata
and the Spaghetti squash. A
thick outer skin, which is
very similar to the
Delicata, covers a golden
stringy-textured inner
flesh, like that of the
Spaghetti squash. The squash
can be baked or steamed and
served as a side dish
seasoned with butter, herbs
and sauces. It can also be
served raw and combined with
greens to make a tasty
salad. When cooked, it
provides a flavor similar to
sweet potatoes. If the
squash is to be baked, cut
the squash in half, cutting
down the length of the
oblong shape. |
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Sweet Dumpling Squash
 |
A small plump squash that is
only about four to five
inches in diameter. Its skin
is generally cream colored
or light yellow with green
stripes. The sweet
dumpling's flesh is starchy
and pale yellow in color but
has a honey sweet flavor.
Sweet dumpling squash are
available September through
December. When selecting,
choose those with green
stripes and those that are
heavy for their size. Avoid
squash with green skin,
mottling and soft spots.
Store unwrapped in a cool,
dry location for up to 10
days. |
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Sweet Mama Squash |
A winter squash that is a
variety of buttercup squash.
It has a round, pumpkin
shape weighing approximately
3 to 4 pounds. The squash
has a bluish-gray to dark
green skin covering a thick,
fine-grained golden meat
that provides a sweet flavor
when cooked. It can be baked
or microwaved to be served
in casseroles or it can be
stuffed and eaten on its own
as a side dish. |
Turban Squash
 |
A small to medium sized
squash with a distinctive
crowned top consisting of
multiple top knots in white,
green and orange colors. The
whole squash is often used
as a decorative table piece
or as a tureen that is
filled with squash soup.
Firm textured, the inner
golden flesh has a delicious
hazelnut flavor after being
baked or steamed. |
Ukrainian Winter Squash
 |
A pumpkin-like squash that
is large and round, easily
growing to a size of 15 to
25 pounds at maturity. With
a flat-ribbed outer skin
that turns orange or
bluish-green when ripe, this
squash has bright orange
meat that is smooth and
densely textured. Inside the
squash there are numerous
large seeds that can be
roasted and eaten for a
snack. An uncommon variety,
the Ukrainian winter squash
could be considered to be a
sweet meat squash as one
that can be eaten raw or
shredded raw to be made into
slaw salads. When cooked, it
has a sweet nutty flavor
that goes well with a
variety of main dishes. |
Grilled