Winter Squash Types

A somewhat oval-shaped winter squash with a ribbed, dark green skin and orange flesh. The most common method of preparation is to halve them, remove the seeds and bake. Acorn squash may then be eaten directly from the shell.

This large, cylindrical winter squash looks rather like a pear-shaped bat. It's 8 to 12 inches long, 3 to 5 inches at its widest point and can weigh from 2 to 3 pounds. The color of the smooth shell ranges from yellow to camel; the flesh is sweet and orange. Butternut squash can be baked, steamed or simmered.

Also called sweet potato squash, the delicata squash has a pale yellow skin with medium green striations. Inside, the succulent yellow flesh tastes like a cross between sweet potatoes and butternut squash. The oblong delicata can range from 5 to 9 inches in length and 11/2 to 3 inches in diameter. It's in season from late summer through late fall. Choose squash that are heavy for their size; avoid those with soft spots. Delicata squash can be stored up to 3 weeks at an average room temperature. As with other winter squash, the delicata is best baked or steamed. It's a good source of potassium, iron and vitamins A and C.

A very large winter squash with a thick, bumpy, hard shell ranging in color from dark green to bright orange. Hubbards are available from early September to March, either whole or, if extraordinarily large, cut into pieces. Look for those with clean-colored rinds free from blemishes. Store unwrapped in a cool (under 50°F) place (or in the refrigerator) up to six months. Hubbard squash is best boiled or baked. Because of its rather grainy texture, the yellow-orange flesh is often mashed or pureed and mixed with butter and seasonings before serving. Hubbard squash is an excellent source of vitamin A and contains a fair amount of iron and riboflavin.

Also called vegetable spaghetti, this creamy-yellow, watermelon-shaped winter squash was so named because of its flesh, which, when cooked, separates into yellow-gold spaghettilike strands. Averaging from 4 to 8 pounds, spaghetti squash are available year-round with a peak season from early fall through winter. Choose squash that are hard and smooth with an even pale yellow color. Avoid greenish squash (a sign of immaturity) and those with bruised or damaged spots. Store uncut spaghetti squash at room temperature for up to three weeks. After the whole squash is baked, the rather bland-tasting strands can be removed from the shell and served with sauce, like pasta. They can also be served as part of a casserole or cold as a salad ingredient.

This family of winter squashes all have hard bumpy shells and turban-like formations at the blossom end. Buttercup squash is one of the more popular varieties. Turban squashes come in a variety of sizes ranging from 2 to 15 inches in diameter at the base. Because they're quite colorful, with varying bright hues of orange, green and yellow, turban squashes are often used for decoration rather than eating. They can be baked, steamed or simmered.

Squash descriptions from The Food Lover's Companion, Second Edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

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