Winter Squashes
The Wonderful World of Edible Gourds
Braised Garlicky Winter Squash
serves 4
3 tbsp. Butter
2 tbsp. White Wine
10 cloves Garlic, peeled
1-1/4 pounds Butternut (or Delicata, Sugarloaf, Dumpling, Buttercup) squash, peeled, seeded & diced
Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper
3 tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped
1. Melt 1 tbsp. of the butter in a large heavy skillet over low heat. Add the wine and garlic. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. The garlic will brown slightly but should not burn.
2. Mash the garlic with a fork. Stir in the remaining 2 tbsp. butter and the squash. Toss thoroughly to coat. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with the parsley.
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7 cloves Garlic
1/2 tsp. Olive Oil
2 medium Acorn Squashes, halved crosswise and seeded
1/2 pound Kale, large stems removed
1 tsp. Butter
Salt & Pepper
1/2 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
2-1/2 tsp. chopped Fresh Thyme, or 1-1/2 tsp. Dried Thyme Leaves
2-1/4 cups Cream
3 tbsp. Bread Crumbs
2/3 cup Grated Parmesan
1. Heat oven to 450°. Place garlic in an ovenproof dish and drizzle with olive oil. Roast until light brown and very soft, about 20 minutes. Let stand until cool enough to handle; peel and cut into slivers; set aside. Reduce oven temp to 400°.
2. Peel squash and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices; set aside.
3. Steam kale until brightly-colored and wilted, about 1 minute, then chop roughly. Squeeze out as much water as possible and set aside.
4. Butter a 2-1/2-quart baking dish. Distribute half the sliced squash in the dish, reserving the prettiest slices for the top layer, and sprinkle with 1/3 of the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Distribute half the sliced garlic over the squash and sprinkle with 1/2 of the thyme.
5. Arrange the kale over squash and sprinkle with 1/3 of the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Arrange remaining squash over kale and sprinkle with remaining nutmeg, salt, pepper, and thyme. Distribute remaining garlic over squash, tucking it between slices.
6. Pour cream over assembled gratin and cover with foil. Bake until squash is soft when pierced with the tip of a knife, 40 minutes; halfway through baking time, remove foil, press down on squash with a spatula to compress and distribute the liquid, cover and continue baking. Meanwhile combine bread crumbs and parmesan.
7. After the 40 minutes, reduce oven temp. to 375° and sprinkle the bread crumbs and parmesan over the squash, return to oven and continue to bake, uncovered until golden brown. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.
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Baked Winter Squash Soup
12 portions
2 Acorn Squash
2 Butternut Squash
8 tbsp. (1 stick) Butter
8 tsp. Brown Sugar
3 Carrots, halved
1 Large Onion, thinly sliced
10 cups Chicken Stock
3/4 tsp. Ground Mace
3/4 tsp. Ground Ginger
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
Salt, to taste
Sour Cream and Chives for Garnish
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Cut the squashes in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard seeds.
3. Place the squash halves, skin side down, in a shallow roasting pan. Place 1 tbsp. of the butter and 1 tsp. of the brown sugar in the cavity of each squash half. Arrange the carrots and onion slices around the squash. Pour 2 cups of the stock in the pan, cover it tightly with aluminum foil, and bake for 2 hours.
4. Remove the pan from the oven, and allow the vegetables to cool slightly. Scoop the squash pulp out of the skins and place it in a soup pot. Add the carrots, onions, and the cooking liquid.
5. Add the remaining 8 cups chicken stock and the mace, ginger, cayenne, and salt. Stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered for 10 minuts.
6. Purée the soup, in batches, in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return it to the pot, adjust the seasonings, and heat through. Serve each portion garnished with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of chives, if desired.
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Winter Squash Varieties We Grow
Acorn The common supermarket variety with very dark green ridged skin and a nutty flavor-not sweet. Best baked (with nutmeg and brown-sugar) or stuffed. Serves 2. C. pepo
Ambercup This red-skinned buttercup squash has a rich, sweet flavor and dry, flaky flesh. Has a very high sugar content. These will make 4—8 servings. C. maxima
Chicago Warted Hubbard This is the original Hubbard-large (usually 30 pounds), dark green, and very warty. At some point the smooth-skinned hubbard came along and became more economical to grow, but the standard of squash flavor still starts here. C. maxima
Delicata A small, long squash with cream skin and green ridges. Also known as the "Sweet Potato" or "Peanut" squash. The flesh is fine and sweet and will make 2 servings, but once you taste it, you'll want one all for yourself. C. pepo
Festival A tastier version of a pretty squash called "Carnival". We can't honestly decide if we like this one better than Delicata, but we first grew it in 1999 and it was a winner. C. pepo
Gill's Golden Pippin An Acorn with golden-orange skin and an elongated shape. This is an old Northwest heirloom, but treat it like an Acorn. C. pepo
Heart of Gold Somewhere between the Acorn and Delicata lies the qualities of this squash. Light and sweet, deeper than Acorn and almost as rich as Delicata, this squash is a winner. Makes two servings. C. pepo
Orange Hokkaido Also known as "Red Kuri" or "Baby Red Hubbard", this is a Japanese variety highly regarded in the macrobiotic diet. It's best treated like a Hubbard and will make 3—5 servings. C. maxima
Spaghetti Unlike any other squash, in that its cooked flesh is stringy and can be pulled out in strands like orange spaghetti. Shaped like a small watermelon with yellow-orange skin. Dress it with a mild-flavored pasta sauce, or olive oil and parmesan cheese. C. pepo
Sugarloaf This is basically a drier-textured version of Delicata, with darker tan skin and a squat shape, and a higher sugar content. Like Delicata, these will make 2 servings, but don't be surprised if you eat the whole thing by yourself. C. pepo
Sweet Dumpling Similar to Delicata, but in a teacup shape that makes it perfect for stuffing for 1 person. Look for the white skin with green stripes. C. pepo
Sweet Mama Essentially a dark grey-green skinned buttercup type squash, without a button. It's rich, sweet flavor is best when the squash is steamed or baked. These will make 4—8 servings. C. maxima
Sweet Meat This Northwest heirloom variety with slate-grey skin has the potential to grow quite large-10 pounds or more! These will make 8 or more delicious, nutty, sweet servings, and it stores very well. C. maxima
We also test several new varieties every summer, and we've begun growing out a few varieties we obtained from Seed Savers Exchange. Look for them in the fall!
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Up until I first started visiting farmer's markets, I hated winter squash. I knew it either as a frozen orange brick, or as a chunk of nameless, flavorless yellow stuff, wrapped in plastic, from the produce section, and it always made me gag. I just couldn't swallow it.
Everything changed the day I cooked a Delicata. Now we delight in all kinds of squash, knowing that they all have different cooking needs and flavors.
While all squash are in the gourd, or Cucurbita family, there are four primary groups of winter squash, each with their own characteristics. When in doubt examine the squash's stem, and don't worry if anyone looks at you funny.
C. maxima contains the largest squashes, like the Hubbards, Bananas, and Great Pumpkins, some over 800 pounds. Their stems are round and have a corky texture.
C. moschata includes the Butternut and Cheese Pumpkin, and typically have a smooth tan skin and a hard, ridged stem that flares where it meets the fruit. These are capable of the longest storage and will sweeten over time.
C. pepo includes most of the summer squashes, as well as the Acorn, Delicata, Sugar Pumpkins, and traditional field pumpkins we carve into Jack-o-Lanterns.
C. agyrosperma includes several varieties that need a very long, hot growing season. They prefer southern climates and are difficult to identify by their stems alone. We can't grow them here.
How to Choose:
Generally, look for a rich-colored skin for the variety—the skin may be any combination of white, grey, orange, or black. Also, most dark-colored squashes will have an deep orange blotch when ripe. This blotch is the spot where the squash rested on the ground as it ripened. The C. maxima varieties (those with a corky stem) should have a shriveled, dry corky stem, not a thick, green stem full of water.
If you plan on keeping the squash longer than 3 or 4 weeks, check it carefully for dings and scratches, as these damaged areas will mold quickly, and the rest of the squash will follow.
If a recipe calls for peeling the squash, choose a smooth-skinned variety, like Kabocha or Butternut—avoid the ridged and/or warty varieties.
How to Keep:
All winter squashes are built for storage and can last for several months if kept in a cool, dark, dry location. A cool closet can work, or enclosed garage or basement. The temperature needs to stay above 50°, without a lot of fluctuation or moisture will condense on the skin, leading to rot. Once the squash is cut open, it must be used within a day or two. Consider steaming and freezing the extra portion for use later.
How to Eat:
The maxima varieties tend to be dry-textured, and will taste best if cut into chunks and steamed or baked. Try putting the chunks in a baking pan skin-side down with an inch of water in the pan. Add a pat of butter to the non-skin side and a little salt, and bake at 350° for 45—60 minutes. Once cooked, try them mashed with potatoes or other root vegetables. The pepo and moschata varieties will tend to fall apart and lose flavor if over--steamed. To bake these little guys, try placing them cut side down in a baking pan with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Bake at 400° for about 20 minutes, then turn them over and lower the heat to 350° for another 20—30 minutes. (We like a little butter inside, too.) Butternut and kabocha or buttercup squashes are also quite good when cut into chunks and added to soup, just treat them like potatoes.
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