Bounty of the Season: Winter Squash
by Jenna Sandoe, Crewmember at Loon Organics, Tastemaker in Residence
As the days grow shorter, and cold Canadian winds begin to pull the remaining leaves off the trees, we get hungry for warm comfort in our stomachs at the end of a long workday on the farm. The abundance of delicious winter squash fills us with warmth that fends off the chill of the waning autumn season, and portends future feasts with family and friends during the upcoming holiday season.
As growers and eaters of squash, we appreciate the amazing diversity of squash, and we can’t help but discuss the merits of the different varieties we grow as we are out in the fields harvesting the squash. Sure, one could settle for crowd pleasers like the classic acorn or smooth and sweet butternut. But we have the excellent opportunity, as growers of produce, to sample the lesser-known, but equally delectable, varieties. Everyone has their favorites. Below is a list of our favorite winter squashes grown on the farm along with a few ideas on how to use each variety. Spoiler alert: my favorite is delicata and if you haven’t yet tried it, you should!
Acorn: Familiar and one of the more common kinds of winter squash, this squash has dark green skin and is an acorn shape. This squash has a mild, subtly sweet and nutty flavor with a fibrous flesh. This is great roasted, steamed or sautéed.
Buttercup: This squash is round and squat, with dark green skin - somewhat resembling a kabocha but with a cup shape on one end. It has a mild, sweet and creamy flavor, and firm texture. Because it is not as moist as other squashes, the buttercup holds it shape well if cubed and put in a stew or a curry.
Butternut: This popular squash is bell shaped with a tan exterior and is known for its sweet flavor, smooth texture and very few seeds. This squash is great for roasting, sautéing or cut into cubes before making into a smooth pureed soup.
Carnival: This squash is fun colored small, dark green, orange and cream colored squash that also makes a great centerpiece on your holiday table. A hybrid of the sweet dumpling and acorn squash, this has a sweet and almost buttery, maple-syrup flavor. Since this is fairly small, this lends itself to a nice individual serving size so is great roasted or stuffed. You can even fill it with soup or custard.
Delicata: This one is my favorite! This small cylindrical squash has yellow colored skin with dark green stripes. Its creamy, nutty flavor reminds one of sweet potato. Delicata has thin skin that’s edible. However, because of the thinner skin, delicata does not store as long as other winter squashes.
Honeynut: A cute cousin of the butternut, the Honeynut squash is smaller and sweeter, too! We started growing this variety on the farm this season, and it’s a new favorite.
Kabocha: This squash is a round and squat shaped squash that can be either dark green or red orange. It resembles buttercup, but has a point on each end. Kabocha squash is sweet and nutty. Like the buttercup, it has a dense texture but is slightly more moist. Kabocha is great roasted, steamed or added to soup or curry as it also holds it shape well after being cooked. It can also be used as pie filling.
Pie Pumpkin: Unlike the common large field pumpkin - which are best left for carving (and seed roasting) since they are generally dry and flavorless - the smaller pie pumpkins have a sweet, earthy flavor. Pie pumpkins not only taste great baked into a pie, but can be made into delicious pureed soups.
Sweet Dumpling: This squash is a small yellow squash with dark green to orange markings. Its sweet flavor is somewhat reminiscent of corn. This squash is great for stuffing or roasting since its small size lends itself to a nice individual serving size (like the carnival squash).
In general, always store your squash in a cool, dry place.
Tips for cutting your winter squash without injuring yourself or those around you:
Begin with a sharp, large and sturdy knife - ideally 8 inches or longer. A larger, heavier knife will give you more leverage for cutting through such a sturdy vegetable. Cook’s Illustrated also recommends using a meat cleaver with a mallet if you feel like the squash is extra sturdy.
Cut about ¼” off each end of the squash and stand on one end before you cut it in half. By standing on the end, this gives you a flat base to help stabilize on your cutting board. Stabilization is a key part of avoiding injury.
If its just too tough to cut then consider cooking the squash whole in either the oven or a slow cooker. This method will take longer but will make the squash a lot easier to cut once cooked.
Here are a few recipes to try:
Butternut Squash & Tomato Soup with Coconut “Bacon"