Winter Squash

WINTER SQUASH – ACORN AND BUTTERNUT Sweet

3 pounds = 3 cups cooked and pureed

Buttercup, Butternut, Delicata, Honey delight, Kabocha or Hokkaido, Sweet dumpling

Store in a cool dry place. If cut, wrap in plastic and store in the refrigerator crisper drawer. When ready to cook, wash, cut in half with a heavy bladed-knife or hand saw. Scrape out and discard the seeds and stringy portion.

(If you prefer, you can puncture the squash with a knife or metal skewer half a dozen times and bake it whole. Let it cool enough to work with, and cut and discard seeds and strings after baking.)

To cook on the stovetop, cook covered in 1 to 2 inches of boiling water (i.e. steam it), until tender, 25-30 minutes.

To bake in the oven, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place squash cut side down (or whole) in a baking pan with shallow sides (I use a jelly-roll pan). Bake until tender, 30 to 45 minutes.

From Sausage Stuffed: Cooking Directions: Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut acorn squash in half; remove seeds. Place squash, cut side down, in 12x8 inch (2 quart) baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes or until just tender. Turn squash cut side up; season with salt.

Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out and discard the strings and seeds. In baking pan with 1/2 inch hot water, place squash cut side down. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, until tender. Remove from oven and turn to cut side up. Combine remaining ingredients and pour inside squash. Return to oven for 15 minutes.

(Cook’s Bible: Steaming Times for Common Veg) Butternut Squash Al Dente - NA, Fully Cooked - 13 minutes. Prep: peel and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

IngredientCategory?: Fruit Vegetables - Winter Squash: Look for squash that’s heavy for its size. Butternut should be universally peachy. Kabocha, buttercup, Hokkaido, honey delight, and sweet mama squash should be deep, dark green. Markings on delicata and sweet dumplings should be bright orange, which is a sign of sweetness. Most squashes, except butternut, have splotches on the skin where fruit sat on ground; rich orange spots indicate ripe flesh. Syrupy spots on the stem end are also a good indication of sweetness.

Store at room temperature on a table, in wire baskets, or on wooden racks that allow air circulation, or in a cold attic, an old-fashioned cold box, or enclosed porch. Colder temperatures are better; the heat of the kitchen can cause premature spoilage. Leave plenty of space or crumpled newspaper between squash to prevent collection of moisture and mold. Refrigerate hard squash after cutting. Use cooked vine vegetables within 3 days or freeze.

In Detail, all about winter squash, with pictures - http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--830/all-about-winter-squash.asp

Modern day squash developed from the wild squash that originated in an area between Guatemala and Mexico. While squash has been consumed for over 10,000 years, they were first cultivated specifically for their seeds since earlier squash did not contain much flesh, and what they did contain was very bitter and unpalatable. As time progressed, squash cultivation spread throughout the Americas, and varieties with a greater quantity of sweeter-tasting flesh were developed. Christopher Columbus brought squash back to Europe from the New World, and like other native American foods, their cultivation was introduced throughout the world by Portuguese and Spanish explorers. Today, the largest commercial producers of squash include China, Japan, Romania, Turkey, Italy, Egypt, and Argentina. http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=63

Most people ask what the difference between a winter squash and a pumpkin is. A pumpkin is just another hard-shelled winter squash. And what makes a winter squash different from a summer squash you ask? It’s simply in the time of year which they are eaten. The early American settlers gave them those designations. Summer squash are soft-skinned vegetables which grew quickly, and were eaten soon after harvest. Winter squash grew the thick, hard rinds that made them suitable for storing through the long winters when fresh vegetables were a precious commodity. http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/182/

Acorn squash (Cucurbita pepo) is a winter squash with distinctive longitudinal ridges and sweet, yellow-orange flesh. Although considered a "winter" squash, acorn squash belongs to the same species as all "summer" squashes (including zucchini and yellow crookneck squash). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acorn_squash

The native American Narragansett language gave us the name “askutasquash”, literally,“a green thing eaten raw”. This applies in the case of summer squash such as zucchini, pattypan, and other soft skinned gourds. http://harriettstomato.typepad.com/foodlog/2005/12/askutasquash_th.html

http://www.foodsubs.com/Squash.html