This popular squash is shaped like a bulb with a thick, tan exterior skin that needs to be peeled. Butternut squash has a sweet, creamy flesh that lends itself well to mashing and roasting.
As the name implies, acorn squash is shaped like an acorn nut. It has a dark green skin that becomes tender when roasted and it can be prepared as a savory or sweet side. This small, cylindrical squash is easy to prepare. Its distinct pale-yellow skin with green stripes is tender enough to eat, so you can just slice the squash into half-moons and roast it.
Try tossing it with a pasta or serving it on a salad. This giant squash has a lumpy exterior that ranges in color from orange to green.
Its sweet flesh is great when roasted. Kabocha squash, also known as a Japanese pumpkin, is a staple in Asian cuisines. We often think of these popular gourds as just a Halloween decoration, good for carving. It's become a trendy, low-carb alternative to angel hair pasta.
Its size and shape makes it perfect for stuffing and roasting as a side dish. It can be prepared raw, grilled, or spiralized into noodle-like strands. Yellow in color with a fat bottom and thinner neck, this squash is a close relative to the zucchini.
The yellow squash tends to have more seeds than a zucchini, but the flavors are similar and the two can often be used interchangeably. If you're growing squash yourself , just a few plants will yield enough for your family with tons leftover for sharing.
But what kinds should you grow or pick up at the farmer's market? There are dozens of varieties, which fall into two main groups: Summer squash and winter squash. Here are a few of our favorite squash varieties with growing tips and recipe ideas:. Summer squash often grow on a bushier plant than the more vine-like plants of pumpkin and winter squash, meaning they'll take up less room in your garden.
And keep picking to keep the harvest going! This familiar squash has been grown for generations because it's easy to grow with high-yields. Grill or saute and toss over pasta, or bake it into quick breads and cakes. If you grow too many to use in your zucchini recipes , use your food processor to grate it and freeze; then pull it out to thaw, squeeze it dry, and make a frittata or quick bread later.
These cute round zucchini are good for the same types of dishes, but they're fun to roast or grill whole when they're small. Or harvest them larger and stuff with rice, meat, and veggies. If you wait too long, they get unpleasantly seedy. These flying saucer-shaped squash can be grilled whole when 2 to 3 inches wide.
These oval-shaped Middle Eastern types may just be the best-tasting of the summer squash, but they are sometimes hard to find unless you grow them yourself. These heat-tolerant heirlooms are fast growers. The vine that can reach 10 feet long, so this is one for big gardens!
Firm, sweet white flesh has more flavor than many other kinds of summer squash. Pick when fruits are the softball-sized. How cool are these? The slender, curvy fruits of this Italian heirloom are firm and less seedy than many types. Make sure you have a large garden because their vines reach feet long!. With a sweet nutty flavor like Dumpling, and a tender-firm texture like Acorn, they are the best of both parent varieties.
Kabocha can be dark green with mottled blue-gray striping, or a deep red-orange color that resembles Red Kuri. You can tell the difference between red Kabocha and Red Kuri by their shape: Kabocha is round but flattened at stem end, instead of pointed. The flesh is smooth, dense, and intensely yellow. They are similar in sweetness and texture to a sweet potato. Pie pumpkins differ from larger carving pumpkins in that they have been bred for sweetness and not for size. They are uniformly orange and round with an inedible rind, and are sold alongside other varieties of winter squash unlike carving pumpkins which are usually displayed separately from winter squash.
These squash are mildly sweet and have a rich pumpkin flavor that is perfect for pies and baked goods. They make a beautiful centerpiece when hollowed out and filled with pumpkin soup. These vivid orange, beta carotene-saturated squash are shaped like an onion, or teardrop. They have a delicious chestnut-like flavor, and are mildly sweet with a dense texture that holds shape when steamed or cubed, but smooth and velvety when pureed, making them quite versatile.
These football-sized, bright yellow squash are very different from other varieties in this family. Spaghetti squash has a pale golden interior, and is stringy and dense—in a good way! After sliced in half and baked, use a fork to pry up the strands of flesh and you will see it resembles and has the texture of perfectly cooked spaghetti noodles.
These squash are not particularly sweet but have a mild flavor that takes to a wide variety of preparations. These small, four- to-six-inch round squash are cream-colored with green mottled streaks and deep ribs similar to Acorn. Pale gold on the inside, with a dry, starchy flesh similar to a potato, these squash are renowned for their rich, honey-sweet flavor. At some food co-ops, farmer's markets, and apple orchards in the fall you may encounter unusual heirloom varieties of squash that are worth trying.
If you like butternut, look for Galeux D'eysines, a rich, sweet and velvety French heirloom that is large, pale pink, and covered in brown fibrous warts. You might also like to try Long Island Cheese squash , a flat, round ribbed, beige squash that resembles a large wheel of artisan cheese. If you prefer the firmer, milder Acorn, you might like to try long Banana or Pink Banana squash.
If you like a moist,dense textured squash yam-like , try a Queensland Blue or Jarrahdale pumpkin. These huge varieties are from Australia and New Zealand, respectively, and have stunning brittle blue-green rinds and deep orange flesh. Both are good for mashing and roasting. Interested in exploring how much there is to love about winter squash?
Check out our collection of Sweet and Savory Winter Squash recipes and articles. Skip to main content. Search form Search this site. Winter Squash Guide. Acorn This forest green, deeply ribbed squash resembles its namesake, the acorn. Best uses : baking, stuffing, mashing. Best Uses : baked or mashed, topped with butter, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
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