What’s Below:

About Winter Squash

Cooking & Storage

Recipes

ABOUT WINTER SQUASH

Winter Squash is a delicious, hearty fruit that comes in a several varieties that range in taste and texture, from sweet to nutty and creamy to delightfully stringy. These versatile, fall fruits grow on vines and have their origins across North, South, and Central America where they’ve been cultivated by Indigenous peoples for at least 10,000 years. It’s believed that the word squash comes from the Narragansett word for “eaten raw” askutasquash." While it is possible to eat many varieties of winter squash raw, many people prefer to eat the skin, flesh, and seeds cooked.

The winter squash most folks have heard of is pumpkin, with acorn and butternut right behind them. Here at Rock Steady we grow two varieties of winter squash, which are kabocha and butternut squash. Kabocha is a Japanese squash with a green outer shell, with a flavor that’s described as sweet potato mixed with pumpkin. Butternut squash is a hybrid of a pumpkin and gooseneck squash, and is often described as being sweet, but nutty tasting.

COOKING & STORAGE

• Edible parts: Fruit

• Medicine and Nutrients: Depending on the type winter squash have varying levels of different nutrients, but most are a great source of potassium, fiber, vitamin C, and beta-carotene.

• Storing and Shelf Stability: Store kabocha at room temperature in a cool, dry and dark place for up to 1 month. Refrigerate cooked and cut kabocha squash and use within 2-3 days. Store sliced kabocha in plastic wrap, foil or a sealed plastic bag. If you store uncut butternut squash, it will keep for 3-4 months in a cool, dry place. Discard if it becomes soft, squishy, or moldy.

• Ways to Prepare: Winter squash can be roasted, fried, simmered, stewed, and added to soups with or without their skin peeled. The seeds can be seasoned with spices and roasted.

RECIPES

• Dominican Sancocho (My Dominican Kitchen)

• Roasted Pepitas (Winter squash seeds) Muy Bueno

• Loaded Hasselback Butternut Squash (A Girl Called Adri)

• Kabocha Squash Caramelized Onion Spread (Sweet Potato Soul)

• Chipotle Chicken Spaghetti Squash Bowls (A Girl Called Adri)

• Roasted Butternut Squash (Well Plates)

• Butternut Squash Soup (vegan) (Love & Lemons)

• 9 Delicious Recipes for Kabocha Squash (Food & Wine)

Authored and compiled by Maya Marie of Deep Routes, Ayllen Kocher, and Amara Ullauri