What To Do With Winter Squash

Squash!I don't know if you have noticed, but it is squash season.  I say that tongue in cheek, because it's impossible to walk into a grocery store these days without being confronted by a shipping container full of multicolored squash spilling out in all directions.  Taunting you with their delicious nutritious "how the heck do I cook it" -itude!

First, a word on "summer squash" versus "winter squash."  Both vegetables grow during the summer season, but summer squash need to be eaten as soon as they are ripe (i.e. in summer). Summer squash are delicate, with thin edible rinds, and small edible seeds.  Common summer squash include zucchini and those delicious yellow crookneck squash.

Winter squash are harvested later, and can be kept over into (and sometimes through) the winter.  Winter squash are sturdy, with thick inedible rinds, and big inedible seeds.  The Halloween pumpkin is a classic winter squash.

Winter squash are what we're seeing at the stores now.  When you cook a squash, your first decision is: sweet or savory?  In both cases, the simplest way to cook it is to cut it in half, and scoop out the seeds.  For a sweet squash, put a bit of butter and brown sugar in the hole.  For a savory squash, put a bit of olive oil and sea salt in the hole.  Either way, bake it at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes until tender.  (Less cooking time for a smaller squash, and more for a larger - let common sense be your guide here.)

If you want to take it a step further, you can cut off the rind and cut the flesh of the squash into chunks.  These can then be baked in a dish, with either brown sugar and butter or olive oil and salt.  You can also add in appropriate other additions - like cut up chunks of apple for a sweet dish, or chunks of potato and onion for a savory dish.

Squash can be easily fancificated by stuffing them.  You cut the squash in half, bake it, scoop out the meat, mix it with good things, put it back into the shell, and bake it for a little while longer.  (Yeah I know, it sounds like a lot of work to me, too!)

By the way, BE CAREFUL when you cut your squash in half!  Last year I sliced open my index finger while trying to cut a squash in half.  Remember that the squash is hard, and you'll be putting a lot of pressure on the knife.  The best way to cut a squash is to place the knife, then put your hand over the back of the knife, hanging onto the squash with your fingertips, and to use a serrated (or failing that, sharp) knife.

No matter how you cook your squash, enjoy it with a clear conscience!  Squash contains a whole host of valuable nutrients, including vitamin A, C, and potassium.  They also serve as serving as an excellent source of fiber.