By Chef Andrea
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| Winter Squash Varieties |
This week we officially make the transition into fall. Many people think we start winding down farm operations in late September and October, but on our farm this is the time of year when we kick it into high gear and continue to harvest up until Thanksgiving! While summer is a bountiful season, fall also has a lot to offer, both in fall crops that we eat fresh out of the fields as well as all of the storage crops we squirrel away so we (you included) have food to eat throughout the winter. We completed our winter squash harvest several weeks ago, a bit ahead of schedule. We’ve been “curing” it to concentrate the sugars and set the skins for longer storage. Now it’s time to make the transition and start enjoying this unique group of vegetables.
I recently read a blog post about winter squash where the author made the following statement: “One of my favorite farmers says that eating a winter squash is like eating a season’s worth of sun stored up in one neat sweet bundle.” I love this description and it really is true! “Winter Squash” is a pretty broad description that includes hundreds of different vegetable varieties that fall into this category. Selecting varieties to grow can be a bit overwhelming when looking through the seed catalogs each year. Over the years we’ve developed our own set of criteria for deciding which varieties we want to include in our lineup. There are a few important criteria that are non-negotiable. For starters, we try to select varieties that actually have good flavor and are enjoyable to eat! We also need a variety to have good disease resistance. We need a healthy plant in the field that will survive the long growing season needed to bring squash to maturity on the vine. Disease resistance is also important because it impacts the storage of squash. If there are problems with leaf disease or other similar issues on a crop, the squash may look perfect at the time of harvest but we find that their shelf life is shorter. We have several months ahead of us where we’ll be eating winter squash as an important part of our diet, so we also try to select different types of squash to grow to keep it interesting for all of you! Lastly, we choose smaller varieties that will actually fit in a CSA box! There are some varieties of winter squash that can grow very large. My grandmother used to grow a variety that was several feet long and yielded enough flesh to make 6-8 pies! Every year we have some standard favorites we grow, such as butternut, but we also trial new varieties each year as we continue to look for ways to vary and improve the next year’s offerings.
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| Winter Squash curing in the greenhouse. |
I’ve included descriptions of each variety we grew this year. As we go through the upcoming CSA deliveries, please refer back to this article to help you identify the squash you are receiving and refresh your memory about each one. Before we look at the specifics though, I want to talk a little bit about storage. The optimal storage temperature for winter squash is 45-55°F. This may be difficult to achieve in a home setting, so my recommendation is to choose a cool, dry place in your home if possible, even if it is a little warmer than 55°F. Many people choose to store winter squash in the garage or basement, which is fine to do as long as these spaces don’t get too cold in the winter and if they aren’t too humid. In the coldest part of the winter our garage temperature usually dips into the 30’s which is too cold for squash. We also do not recommend storing winter squash in the refrigerator. As I mentioned, storage at temperatures less than 45°F may cause chill injury which will shorten the storage potential of your squash. Honestly, it’s fine to also store them at room temperature, beautifully displayed in your kitchen or living space. They will add beauty to your space until you’re ready to eat them! They’ll also be easy to keep your eye on them. It’s important to check the squash periodically if you’re keeping it for extended time. Look for any spots starting to form that may indicate the start of deterioration. If you do see a problem spot, don’t automatically throw it out! I repeat, do not throw it out! If you catch it early, the problem may only affect a very small portion that may be cut away. If that’s the case, don’t delay, it’s time to cook the squash before the issue gets bigger! It will be easier for you to monitor a few squash than it will be for us to monitor bins and bins of squash. Don’t feel like you have to eat it all right away. If it’s a variety that will store, you can set it aside for later. If you do have some that are starting to develop spots, you should still cook it even if you are not ready to eat or use them. You can scoop out the flesh once it’s cooked and freeze it. Better to do this so you can preserve the flesh than to surrender it to the compost bin!
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| Maple Sage Roasted Black Futsu Pumpkins |
When it comes to using winter squash, you need to evaluate each variety and determine the best use for it. Some varieties will be better for use as individual servings or may be good for stuffing with a filling (Sugar Dumpling, Jester, Heart of Gold, Festival). Others may be well-suited for use in curries, stews, soups and braised dishes as well as baked goods such as cakes, pies, bread and muffins. (Kabocha, Butternut, Butterkin, Tetsukabuto) Each week as we deliver the different varieties, refer to the “What’s In the Box” section of the newsletter/email for details on the varieties being delivered in that week. I also want to mention that the seeds in most of our winter squash varieties are edible as well! When you scoop the flesh out of the cavity of the squash, separate the seeds, given them a rinse and then roast them in the oven until they are crispy and golden. They make a nice garnish for soups and salads or just eat them as a snack. If you need a little more guidance on this process, check out the resources at TheKitchn.com.
Ok, lets dive in and take a look at the squash we grew for you this year!
Sugar Dumpling Squash: We only grew a small amount of this variety as it is not the best storage squash and sometimes we don’t have room for it in the box early in the fall when we have so many other things to eat! The tradeoff for a short storage window is that this squash is one of the most sweet and flavorful ones we grow. Sugar Dumpling squash have a thinner skin and a high sugar content which makes them vulnerable to deterioration. This squash is described as “the perfect two-serving dumpling squash” because you can cut it in half, bake it and eat the flesh right out of the shell! All it needs is a little butter, salt and pepper. The seed for this squash is produced by our friends at High Mowing Seeds in Vermont.
Jester Squash: This is a new variety we grew as a trial this year, so we only have one bin. Our neighbor at the farmers market grew this variety last year and gave us one to try. We’ve only eaten a few, but so far we’ve been impressed by both the flavor and sweetness of this squash. We were hoping this squash could fill an early season slot previously filled by delicata squash. While we know delicata is a popular squash, we have not had good luck storing it and typically have to compost a lot before we are able to deliver it. This squash does have a thicker skin, which may indicate it will store longer. So far it’s looking pretty good, but we’ll need to give it a little more time in storage to truly evaluate its potential. At this point it does look promising and we’ll likely choose to plant more next year.
Heart of Gold Squash: While acorn squash is one of the most common and familiar varieties of winter squash, we’ve never cared to grow it because we can’t find a variety that has any flavor! Heart of Gold is classified as an acorn variety, but as you can see in the picture it does not look like a traditional green acorn. It has a beautiful creamy background with green markings and the flesh is golden yellow. We grew this as a trial last year and were impressed with both its flavor and ability to be stored for several months. This year we increased production with the intention that we can deliver this one later in the season. While many recipes for acorn squash call for copious amounts of brown sugar, please try this one without the added sugar first. Trust me…it doesn’t need it!
Festival Squash: We’ve been growing this variety for many years and it’s one of Richard’s favorites because it’s a beautiful squash! The exterior has cream, orange and green markings and the flesh is golden yellow. This is another variety known to have long storage potential, so we often wait until November or December to deliver this one. Festival is another squash that is easy to prepare by simply cutting it in half, baking it and serving one half as a portion. It’s also a good squash for baking with a filling.
Orange Kabocha Squash: This variety is actually called “Sunshine,” which is very fitting for this bright orange squash! Kabocha squash has a very thin skin that is actually edible. It’s up to you whether you want to eat the skin or if you prefer to peel it. It also has a very thick, deep gold flesh that has a very sweet, rich flavor. Because this squash has a thinner skin and sweet flesh, it doesn’t always store as well. This is a big bummer because it’s such a delicious squash that is very versatile in its uses. It is excellent used in soups, curries, stews, but is flavorful enough to be steamed and lightly seasoned or just baked and served with butter. It also is a great choice to use for baked goods. We have reduced our planting size of this variety in recent years, but I think we’ll always grow this squash despite its challenges.
Black Futsu Pumpkin: This is a Japanese heirloom we grew for the first time last year, simply because I fell victim to the description in the seed catalog describing this as a squash highly revered by chefs. This is one of the most unique varieties we grow with its’ knobby exterior and charcoal exterior color that turns to buff as it continues to develop in storage. This variety has a flavorful golden flesh and a thinner skin that is actually edible. I found the skin is most enjoyable if the squash is cut into thinner wedges and roasted so the skin gets crispy. Our experience with this squash from last year is that it does store pretty well. I did notice that the ones I cooked in late December and January had a tougher skin. It’s pretty hard to peel this squash given it’s exterior, but the alternative way to deal with it is to just cut it in half and bake it. Then you can scrape the flesh out of the shell and discard the skin if it’s too coarse to eat.
Butternut Squash: I don’t have any official stats on this, but if I had to guess, I’d say butternut squash probably ranks at the top of the list in this country for pounds produced and consumed. It does have a lot to offer in its versatility as well as the flavorful, sweet flesh. It’s delicious roasted, baked, steamed, pureed and can be used in a wide variety of preparations. There are many different varieties of butternuts, so how do you choose? We fall back on our criteria mentioned earlier in this article and have narrowed our selections to Butterboy and Butterscotch, while continuing to trial new ones every year. Butterboy yields well, has disease resistance, is good in storage and produces larger squash that are appropriate for a CSA box. Butterscotch is a smaller variety that produces cute little fruit with exceptional flavor. They were bred for sweetness, richness and complex flavor…..and they live up to all these characteristics! Some of them are small enough to be a personal-sized squash.
Butterkin: This is a cousin to butternut squash and one we started growing a few years ago. It has the flesh and exterior color of a butternut with the rounded appearance of a pumpkin! It stores really well and can be used in any way you would use a butternut. Plus, you could also prepare it in such a way that the shell could be used as a serving vessel!
Autumn Frost: This is another cousin to butternut, and a new variety we’re trialing this year. It has kind of a gourd-like, squatty shape, but has the buff color of a butternut as well as butternutesque flesh. The description in the High Mowing Seed catalog was very convincing and lured us in. Here’s what they say: “Don’t be fooled by the decorative gourd-level beauty of this productive squash. The unique appearance houses a delicious flesh that is sweet, earthy, and reminiscent of your favorite butternut squash. Perfect for roasting, pies and breads. It is an excellent storage crop…..” So far it has met all of the criteria we’re looking for! I haven’t cooked one yet, so I’ll have to report on the flavor factor later. If it proves to hold up in storage we may choose to plant more next year.
Tetsukabuto: “The squash of choice for the apocalypse.” This is the heading under this squash in the Johnny’s seed catalog! This caught our attention last year and we had to try it. This is a cross between a kabocha squash and a butternut squash. It has good disease resistance and is very productive. It also has an exceptionally long storage potential. In fact, they recommend that you wait at least 6 weeks after harvest before you eat it for the best flavor. One of the attributes that contributes to its storage potential is that it has a very hard skin to protect the sweet flesh. We have quite a few of these this year, but we are saving them for the last deliveries in December. This will likely be the last squash you eat before the return of spring!
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| One-Pot Kabocha Squash and Chickpea Curry |
Winter squash is a hearty, nourishing vegetable that will fuel our bodies and keep us strong and healthy throughout the long, cold winter. The ways you can use it are endless, so we hope you will enjoy using the different varieties throughout the winter as you prepare your favorite recipes from the past and find new ones to try. The possibilities for using squash are endless, but if you come up against a block and don’t know what to do with them, refer to our recipe archives on our website or head over to our Facebook Group and ask for help! I guarantee we’ll be able to help you find something delicious to create!
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