Carnival: A cross between the acorn and sweet dumpling varieties, carnival squash is a bit sweeter than butternut. It can be prepared similarly to these other varieties and can serve as a substitute when recipes call for them. Carnival also works great in soups and stews.
Although the name would have you think otherwise, winter squash grows throughout the summer months and is ready for harvesting around September or October. Unlike their thinner-skinned summer squash cousins, which are best picked and consumed when they are relatively immature, winter squashes are harvested at full maturity. At that point, rinds are thickened, and colors are deep and rich.
Those thick skins are what make all the difference between summer and winter varieties. When stored under the proper conditions — in a cool, dry area at 50 degrees — winter squash can be kept upwards of six months. Even in less-than-ideal conditions, like just laying around on your countertop, they can last a good two to three months.
The Farmers’ Almanac says that squash — which comes from the Indigenous Narragansett word askutasquah — meaning eaten raw or uncooked —
Advertisement
is one of the oldest crops known to mankind. Although typically prepared as a vegetable, squash is technically a fruit, as it contains internal seeds and develops from the flower of a plant.
Squash is versatile, able to be served simply by roasting and seasoning lightly with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil, or jazzed-up and used in creations bursting with other flavors like soups, stews, and stir fries. Pass through the produce section of your favorite grocery store and you’re sure to spot an eye-catching assortment of winter squash of various shapes, colors, and sizes. Once you get past the more popular varieties of acorn, butternut, and spaghetti, there’s a wonderland of winter squash to sample. Here we share some of these lesser-known types like carnival, delicata, hubbard, kabocha, red kuri, sweet dumpling, and turban, as well as a favorite recipe for a hearty hash shared by Moonshine Ink publisher Mayumi Elegado.
Carnival: A cross between the acorn and sweet dumpling varieties, carnival squash is a bit sweeter than butternut. It can be prepared similarly to these other varieties and can serve as a substitute when recipes call for them. Carnival also works great in soups and stews.
Kabocha: Like other varieties, this Japanese squash has a sweet and slightly nutty flavor. It is more firm than other types with a consistency like that of the chestnut and has been compared to the taste and texture of the sweet potato. It’s quite versatile, prepared in countless ways from pureeing and roasting to sautéing and cutting into chunks for soup, and pairs well with flavors varying from sweet to spicy to savory.
Sweet dumpling: True to its name, this squash has a sweetness that allows for its tender flesh to have a pleasing flavor on its own without being doused in seasoning. Its slight nuttiness comes through when roasted in halves or baked in slices with drizzled oil or butter.
Turban: With its vibrant shades of red and orange, this variety can often be spotted in decorative fall displays. While it also makes for a splendidly unique soup tureen, turban — also called giraumon — is widely served roasted and in soups.
Red kuri: With flesh like the hubbard squash, this variety is much smaller and therefore easier to work with. Like with most other varieties, its sweet, smooth flesh can be prepared in a multitude of ways and seasoned with just about whatever is your flavor of choice.
Hubbard: The dull, blue-gray shell of the hubbard squash conceals a vibrant, deep red flesh that is a cross between the sweet potato and squash. They are quite sizable, and their flavorful flesh is similar to that of a pumpkin and can be easily substituted for pumpkin or butternut squash.
Delicata: The skin of the delicata is a bit thinner than its other winter counterparts, so it might not have quite as long of a shelf life. But that thin skin also makes it perfect for eating. Slice one of these in half, scoop out the seeds, stuff it with your filling of choice, and pop it in the oven. Slicing it up and baking it with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar, or maple syrup enhances its natural sweetness.
#7 Hurry-Up Hearty Hash
1/2 cup leeks or chives, chopped 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1 clove garlic, minced 1/4 cup almond flour 2 cups winter squash or pumpkin, cooked and mashed 2 Tbs. coconut oil
1 egg Combine all ingredients. Form into patties. If dry, add water. If too moist, add additional flour to desired consistency. Fry in lightly oiled skillet until nicely browned on both sides. Hint: Save leftovers for tomorrow’s breakfast or freeze for future use.
~ Recipe by nutritional consultant Lindsay Rojas of Traditional Roots Nutrition, based in Truckee. Info: traditionalrootsnutrition.com.
Juliana Demarest is a Jersey girl with ink in her blood. She fell in love with print journalism at a young age in the '80s when her Uncle Tony would take her to "work" at his weekly paper. In 1997, she co-founded a weekly newspaper in North Jersey. One day, she went to photograph a local farmer for a news story. She ended up marrying him and leaving journalism to become a farmer's wife. In 2010, they packed up their two children and headed to Truckee in pursuit of the outdoor life. She didn't realize just how much she missed journalism until she joined Moonshine in 2018 after taking time off to be mom.
Connect with Juliana
juliana@moonshineink.com
