Winter Squash

About
In contrast to the tender young summer squashes, the many varieties of winter squash are all harvested at a mature stage, when their shells (and usually their seeds) have grown hard and inedible. Because of these protective shells, winter squashes (all members of the gourd family) have a much longer storage life than their summer counterparts. Harvested in the fall, for example, they can be stored throughout the winter in a cool, dry place. However, winter squashes are no longer bound to a particular season. Today, the term simply refers to hard-shelled varieties that keep well (as compared to summer squashes, such as zucchini, that do not).

Varieties
Acorn
White Acorn has pale golden flesh thats mild and slightly stringy. Green Acorn with ribbed shell, sometimes streaked with orange has moist, sweet, tender flesh. Cut in half crosswise, they for attractive scalloped bowls.

Buttercup
A turban shaped, dark green shell which is streaked with grey. Its deep orange flesh is smooth and very sweet.

Butternut
A tan shell, shaped like a bell with one bulbous end. It has dense, sweet, nutty, bright orange flesh.

Hubbard
One of the largest winter squash varieties, which is the reason its sold precut. The pebbly shell can be blue-green, grey or orange. The flesh is yellow-orange and sweet.

Spaghetti
When cooked it separates into spaghetti-like strands. Crunchy texture and faint nutty flavor.

Turban
A flattened round squash with three decorative knobs on top, turban is usually bright orange with green and white streaks. The flesh is bright orange, too with a rich flavor.

Golden Nugget
Small and round with mildly sweet, bright orange flesh. It looks like a miniature pumpkin.

Sweet Dumpling
Resembles a round, squatty version of Delicata. Ivory shell with green strips covers flesh thats yellow-orange and very sweet.

Delicata
Ivory colored shell with green and orange streaks. The yellow flesh is mild tasting, moist and creamy.

Availability
Most are available year-round, but the peak time is early fall through the winter.

Nutrition Information:
• Cholesterol free
• Low in fat and calories
• Very low in sodium
For complete nutritional information, click here.

Additional Information
• Why Eat It - Selection - Storage - Preparation
• From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia