Know Your Squash

This 2010 Pumpkin Season, here at T and A Farm, we have four types of squash. Lets take a look at them!

Ms. Abby says...

Squash could also be cook until tender in 350 oven. Just cut in half and place cut side down in baking dish with half inch to inch of water. Acorn squash is so sweet if cooked long enough and is creamy not stringy.

When you are done learning about our squash, try some of the Squash Recipes!

(All Courtesy of Whats Cooking America and Specialty Produce)

Acorn Squash

As its name suggests, this winter squash is small and round shaped like an acorn. It's easy to slice into halves and fill with butter. A small acorn squash weighs from 1 to 3 pounds, and has sweet, slightly fibrous flesh. Its distinct ribs run the length of its hard, blackish-green or golden-yellow skin. In addition to the dark green acorn, there are now golden and multi-colored varieties. This squash is not as rich in beta-carotene as other winter squashes, but is a good source of dietary fiber and potassium, as well as smaller amounts of vitamins C and B, magnesium, and manganese. Try toasting the seeds just as you would pumpkin seeds! Or Try Martha Stewart’s Acorn Squash and Honey Pie! (Pictured Below)

 

Butternut Squash

Butternut is the most widely grown winter squash. Beige colored and shaped like a vase or a bell. This is a more watery squash and tastes somewhat similar to sweet potatoes. It has a bulbous end and pale, creamy skin, with a choice, fine-textured, deep-orange flesh with a sweet, nutty flavor. Some people say it is like butterscotch. It weighs from 2 to 5 pounds. The more orange the color, the riper, drier, and sweeter the squash.  Butternut is a common squash used in making soup because it tends not to be stringy. Try the Martha Stewart's Butternut Squash and White Bean Soup! (Pictured Below)

Carnival Squash

Cream colored with orange spots or pale green with dark green spots in vertical stripes. Carnival Squash have hard, thick skins and only the flesh is eaten. It is sometimes labeled as a type of acorn squash. The delicious yellow meat is reminiscent of sweet potatoes and butternut squash and can be baked or steamed then combined with butter and fresh herbs. It is also great in soups. Fat-free and sodium-free, a three-fourths cup serving provides fiber, carbohydrates, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron and thirty calories making it a great healthy food! Try Creamy Carnival Squash Bisque. (Pictured Below)

Spaghetti Squash

A small, watermelon-shaped variety, ranges in size from 2 to 5 pounds or more. It has a golden-yellow, oval rind and a mild, nutlike flavor. The yellowiest Spaghetti squash will be the ripest and best to eat. Those that are nearly white are not very ripe. Although it may seem counterintuitive, larger spaghetti squash are more flavorful than smaller ones. When cooked, the flesh separates in strands that resemble spaghetti pasta and may used in place of regular noodles. Spaghetti Squash can be stored at room temperature for about a month. Spaghetti squash also freezes well. Try Martha Stewart’s Roasted Spaghetti Squash With Herbs! (Pictured Below)