Ways to enjoy the winter squashes of autumn
Members of the Cucurbitaceae family serve as lovely seasonal table decorations. But the gourds — which include everything from pearshaped butternut to plump little sugar pumpkins to striped cushaws and grayishblue monster-size hubbards — also are a relatively inexpensive and flavorful way to pack some nutrition into a fall or winter meal.
One of the newer varieties is "Tetsukabuto," an innovative kabocha/butternut cross with Japanese roots that's making its debut this year at Who Cooks For You Farm in New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
"It's my favorite," says Chris Brittenburg of the squash's sweet and nutty flesh, which cooks up creamy like a custard in the oven. "It's so much more moist."
This has been a pretty good year for winter squashes, says Brittenburg, who started the first-generation organic family farm with his wife, Aeros Lillstrom, in 2009. Well, so long as farmers had access to water, that is. The colorful fall fruits love hot and dry weather. But they also need an occasional drink to ensure a bountiful harvest.
Guide to popular varieties
Delicata: Very sweet, it tastes similar to sweet potatoes. Its skin is tender and so it doesn't have to peeled. It can be stuffed, sliced into rings and roasted, sauteed or steamed.
Butternut: One of the most popular winter squashes, it has a distinctive bell shape. The bright-orange flesh is mild, sweet, buttery and nutty. Can be pureed for soup, roasted or cut into cubes for stews and curries.
Butterkin: A hybrid between a butternut squash and a pumpkin. Sweet flesh that can be roasted and pureed for soups, stews, pasta, risotto, pies, and custards. It also can be stuffed.
Sugar pumpkin: Also known as pie pumpkin, it is on the smaller side. Its firm and sweet flesh turns creamy when steamed, roasted or sauteed. The pumpkin is a classic choice for pureeing for pies and other baked goods. It also can be stuffed or cut into chunks for stew.
Acorn: It has a thick dark green or white skin and sweet orange-yellow flesh. It can be roasted, stuffed, baked or grilled with the skin on. Its small size makes it relatively easy to cut and work with.
Kabocha: The hard and knobby green-skinned squash has a yellow-orange interior. Sweet with a nutty and earthy flavor, it has a slightly dry and sweet potato-like texture. A staple in Japanese cuisine, it's great for soup and curries and also can be braised, roasted, stuffed or mashed.
Hubbard: The extremely hard and thick skin is difficult to peel comes in grayish-blue, dark green, red or golden colors. The pumpkin is great for stuffing and baking, and is especially good for pies. It is often sold precut because it can grow to up to 20 pounds.
Spaghetti: The smoothskinned and mild-flavored pumpkin's flesh cooks into thin, spaghetti-like strands. It's great for pasta-like preparations and gluten-free diets.