Winter squash is so good for you. It is one of the best sources of beta
carotene (which your body turns into vitamin A), providing 145% of your
recommended daily allowance per 1 cup serving. The more orange the
flesh, the higher the beta carotene content of the squash. It is also
very high in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, vitamin C,
potassium, niacin, folate, and iron. Winter squash is good for men’s
prostate health, preventing emphysema, and has also been shown to have
cancer-fighting properties, especially for colon and lung cancers.
To cook most squash, cut in half length-wise with a
large knife. Scoop out seeds & place squash halves cut side down,
brushed with oil, in a shallow pan. Bake at 350 degrees fir 1/2– 1
hour, depending on the size and variety of the squash. When squash is
tender, remove from oven. Serve immediately or let cool & scoop
out flesh to use in recipes.
For spaghetti squash, keep whole & puncture skin
several times with a fork. Bake for 1 1/2 – 2 hours at 325 degrees.
Then, cut open & scoop out the noodle-like flesh. Serve as you
would spaghetti.
- Acorn small, dark green squash with yellow, moist flesh.
- Buttercup medium sized green squash with dry orange flesh.
- Butternut
large, smooth tan fruit with sweet, moist orange flesh. The easiest
squash to peel, chop, & steam – great for soups & pies.
- Carnival/Festival small cream colored fruit with green & orange streaks. Sweet, dry orange flesh.
- Delicata
small, elongated heirloom squash. Thin, cream colored edible skin with
green streaks & sweet, creamy flesh. The quickest cooking
squash—it can even be stir-fried.
- Mini Blue Hubbard medium to large squash with hard, blue-grey skin & moist yellow flesh. Great in pies!
- Kabocha medium sized fruit with dark green or deep orange skin & dry, sweet orange flesh.
- Red Kuri small deep orange pumpkins that cook quickly for use in pies. Texture is more coarse than other squashes.
- Spaghetti
large, yellow skinned squash with fibrous yellow flesh that resembles
spaghetti. Can be used as a low carbohydrate alternative to pasta.
- Sweet Dumpling small heirloom squash similar to carnival in size & color but without green streaks.