Is It A Decoration? Is It Food? The Many Uses and Types of Fall and Winter Squash

I don’t know about you, but I love a product that can be used in a variety of ways and has staying power, especially in the home and kitchen. I recently discovered fall/winter squash and the varieties and versatility that they provide. I knew about the typical winter squash that you see in the grocery store like Acorn, Butternut, Spaghetti, Pumpkins, and decorative gourds, but have been introduced to other varieties like Honey Nut, Kabocha, Carnival, Turban, Banana, Red Kuri, Sweet Dumpling, and Buttercup.

There are many advantages to experimenting with and incorporating the approximately 14 varieties of fall and winter squash into your kitchen rotation. When stored properly, they can keep up to 4 weeks (for varieties like the softer skinned Delicata) and 6-8 months (for the Blue Pumpkin or Hubbard squash), allowing you to take your time deciding how many ways you want to use them. Since they are often available in SC from late summer through late winter, you can use them to decorate a holiday table and then cook them up for a yummy side dish. Or, if you aren’t quite ready to try your hand at cooking, they make great canvases for art projects and can be used as décor.

The great things about fall and winter squash are:

So, the next time you are at the market, be on the look-out for a variety of fall and winter squashes, take them home and see how many ways you can put them to good use either in or out of the kitchen.

For more information and recipes check out these other great HGIC documents:

Mashed Butternut Squash

HGIC 4228 Using & Storing Winter Squash

HGIC 3281 Preserving Pumpkin & Winter Squash

Revising Your Recipes for Health …. And How to Make Your Spaghetti Extra Nutritious !

Pumpkin Muenster Grits

Homemade