Look beyond acorn and butternut squash this autumn. There are over a dozen other varieties to choose from for your fall and winter recipes. An award-winning food writer and cookbook author, Molly Watson has created more than 1,000 recipes focused on local, seasonal ingredients. Although called “winter baked winter squash,” the natural season of these varieties of squash and pumpkins runs from late summer to mid-winter, with some varieties available year-round.
There are several to choose from, from homey acorn squash and magical Cinderella pumpkins to charmingly shaped turban squash. Winter squash have thick, tough shells that protect the sweet, rich flesh inside which makes them excellent storage vegetables. No matter what variety of winter squash or pumpkin you choose, always pick squash that feels heavy for their size. Continue to 2 of 15 below. Over the past several years, butternut squash has become a standard ingredient on menus as the star in a creamy soup, ravioli filling, or risotto flavor. It is the sweetest winter squash with a thick, bright orange, moist flesh that hides very few seeds.
The squash is an elongated pear shape with a thin, pale tan skin that is easy to peel. Continue to 3 of 15 below. Until the recent rise in popularity of butternut squash, acorn squash was the most commonly available in the U. Acorn squash are round, with even groves around the entire squash and moist, sweet, tender flesh. The skin is mostly dark green, with occasional splotches of orange and yellow and the flesh is slightly yellowish pumpkin orange. Perfect for roasting, baking, steaming, mashing, and sautéing, these flavorful squash are quite versatile, and the smaller ones can simply be cut in half, seeds removed, and roasted with a little butter and brown sugar for a sweet side dish the kids will love. Continue to 4 of 15 below.
Spaghetti squash is large, weighing in between 3 and 5 pounds, with pale yellow-white skin and orange or bright yellow flesh. Continue to 5 of 15 below. Delicata squash is small, oblong, and cheerfully striped in bright yellow, dark green, and orange. The flesh is sweet, nutty, and a bit drier than other squash with a distinct corn-like flavor. Because of its thin skin, however, it does not store as long or as easily as other winter squash.