Fall/Winter Squash

1 BUTTERCUP Squash | Approx 5 lbs @ $1.50/lbs = $7.50 + $0.05 Assembly	Out of Stock
1 BABY BLUE HUBBARD | Approx 5 lbs @ $1.50/lbs = $7.50 + $0.05 Assembly	Out of Stock

Winter squash season starts in the fall. All winter squashes are harvested in September and October, but only those belonging to the Cucurbita pepo species are ready to go straight to market. The others need a few weeks of curing — which just means they’re set aside at room temperature and left alone to finish developing all their good traits (sugars, textures, flavors).

Once they’re cured, they can keep in storage for several months, and farmers bring them to market all winter long.

ACORN squash is small, round and has a dull, dark-green rind with orange markings. (Golden varieties of acorn squash are also available, but not as common.) Generally, avoid choosing acorn squash that have too much orange—they tend to be tougher and more fibrous. Acorn squash flesh is yellow-orange with a mild sweet and nutty flavor that’s perfect for baking, roasting, steaming, sauteing or even microwaving (be sure to pierce the skin first). Store acorn squash for up to 1 month.
How to use it: Because of its compact size, acorn squash can be halved and stuffed for recipes like Turkey Sausage-Stuffed Acorn Squash. It’s also tasty in both savory dishes, like Pork Chops & Acorn Squash, as well as sweet ones, like Maple-Glazed Acorn Squash.

SPAGHETTI squash is a low-calorie alternative to pasta. Spaghetti squash is cylindrical in shape with pale to bright yellow skin (the yellower the skin, the riper the squash). Once cooked, you can scrape the flesh into strings that resemble spaghetti noodles—except they have about 165 fewer calories and 30 fewer carbohydrates per cup. You can store whole spaghetti squash at room temperature for several weeks.
How to use it: Spaghetti squash is most popular as a healthy substitute for noodles—there are many spaghetti squash recipes for when you’re craving pasta but want fewer carbs.

DELICATA -This type of squash, also known as Bohemian or sweet potato squash, is cylindrical in shape and features pale-yellow skin with green stripes. When cooked, its orange flesh tastes similar to sweet potatoes with an earthy flavor. Delicata squash has a rind that’s more delicate than most squash varieties, making it easy to work with. Store whole delicata squash for up to 3 months.
How to use it: Because of its shape, delicata squash lends itself well to stuffed dishes. Delicata squash is most often roasted, steamed or microwaved. Its skin is edible, so there’s no need to remove it before cooking.

SWEET DUMPLING Small and compact with white-yellow skin and green striations, sweet dumping squash tastes similar to sweet potatoes or corn. Store whole sweet dumpling squash for up to three months.
How to use it: Sweet dumpling squash has edible skin, and it’s a good substitute for pumpkin or sweet potato. Try using sweet dumpling squash instead of butternut squash.

CARNIVAL squash is a cross between acorn and sweet dumpling squash, and it looks as fun as its name implies. The exterior of a carnival squash has deep furrows and lively variegated stripes and patterns in green, orange and creamy yellow. Look for carnival squash that still have some green on them, indicating that they’re ripe but not past their prime. Store whole carnival squash for up to 1 month.
How to use it: Carnival squash has pale-orange flesh and a flavor that’s similar to butternut squash. It’s best when roasted and added to stew, risotto, curry, or pasta, or blended into soups and sauces.

KABOCHA Small, squat and most commonly available with dark-green skin, kabocha squash is also known as Japanese pumpkin. Its sweet, bright-orange flesh tastes like a cross between pumpkin and sweet potato. Store whole kabocha squash for up to 1 month.
How to use it: In Japan, kabocha is widely used in tempura. You can also mash up cooked kabocha squash and use it as a thickener in soups and stews.

BUTTERCUP squash is dark green with light-green stripes and a distinctive round ridge on the bottom. Its bright orange, somewhat dry flesh is very mild in flavor and much sweeter than other types of winter squash. Store whole buttercup squash for up to 3 months.
How to use it: Buttercup squash is best steamed or baked, and it works well in curry dishes. Its skin is inedible and can be difficult to peel, so bake it first to soften it before scooping out the flesh.

BUTTERNUT squash has a creamy, pale orange exterior. (The more orange the skin, the riper, drier and sweeter the flesh will taste.) The easiest way to prepare butternut squash is cut it into two sections—the slim neck and the bulbous, bell-shaped bottom—and handle each separately. Butternut squash skin is fairly easy to peel, and both the skin and the seeds are edible. Whole butternut squash will keep for up to 3 months when stored properly.
How to use it: There dozens of butternut squash recipes. With orange-yellow flesh that isn’t stringy, butternut is a good choice for pureeing into soups.

BABY BLUE HUBBARD - Hubbard squash has very hard orange, green or grey-blue skin, and sweet orange flesh. Because of its size, it’s usually sold pre-cut and seeded. Store it whole for up to six months.
How to use it: Hubbard squash is best for mashing or pureeing and turning into pie, like this Hubbard Squash Pie, which is a unique alternative to pumpkin pie. You can also peel and boil, roast, bake, or steam it.