Harmony Valley Farm: Kabocha

We have made the transition to fall, it’s official. Our Harvest Party is coming up this weekend and we have orange kabocha squash in this week’s box! This is one of my favorite squash varieties and this week I’m sharing two recipes with you from Amy Chaplin’s beautiful book, At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen. The first one is for Kabocha Squash Bread with Toasted Walnut Cinnamon Swirl (see below). I make this bread throughout the winter and we eat it for breakfast with a hard-boiled egg or sometimes have it as dessert with lunch or dinner! It’s delicious on it’s own, but even better spread with soft butter or coconut oil. It calls for spelt flour, which I really like, but I would guess you could also just use all-purpose flour. If you’re not into baking and sweet things this week, consider trying Amy’s recipe for Kabocha Nishime (see below). This is a Japanese preparation for kabocha squash where the squash is steamed until tender and very delicately flavored with kombu, fish stock and mirin. You can eat it on its own or turn it into a bento bowl by serving it with rice, steamed kale and pickled vegetables.

Carbonara with Leeks, Lemon & Bacon

This week I went back through our recipe database because I was looking for a few recipes I thought we had featured before. I found several recipes that I had forgotten about including one we featured last year for Carbonara with Leeks, Lemon & Bacon. This recipe calls for sweet corn, which we don’t have, but you could easily substitute edamame or carrots instead. This is a rich dish, but very delicious with the silky leeks, the sweetness from the peppers and the tang from the lemon.

Another recipe I came across that I haven’t made for awhile is this one for Aloo Gobi (Cauliflower & Potatoes). This is kind of like a quick, Indian vegetable stew with cauliflower, potatoes and tomatoes seasoned with curry powder and garnished with cilantro. It’s flavorful, warming and can be eaten as is or along with rice or a flat bread.

I guess I’m starting to feel the chill of fall which makes me want to eat more soup. This week I’m going to make Andrea Reusing’s recipe for Carrot Soup with Toasted Curry & Pistachios. This is a very simple soup, yet so delicious. If you have some carrots remaining from a previous week, use them to make this recipe for Carrot & Broccoli Salad with Miso Ginger Sauce. This recipe will make great use of not only carrots, but also this week’s broccoli and the last of the edamame.

Kale Chips with Almond Butter & Miso

Lets talk about snacks for a bit. Fall is the time of year when I like to make kale chips as our Sunday afternoon snack as we prepare for the week ahead. I really like this recipe for Kale Chips with Almond Butter & Miso. I prefer to make kale chips with green curly kale, but I’ve talked to other members who prefer Lacinato kale! I’m sure they’re delicious with either variety and no reason to feel guilty eating chips! The other snack food I want to make this week is Mini-Sweet Peppers Stuffed with Feta, Avocado, & Golden Grape Tomatoes. Mini Sweet peppers are great for stuffing with a lot of things, so if you don’t like this recipe, make up your own or just eat them with cream cheese!

Some boxes this week may receive Orange Italian Frying peppers while others will receive poblano peppers. For those of you who get the poblano peppers, consider making Poblano Pepper Jack Cornbread. Serve it for brunch or a light dinner with scrambled eggs and fresh slices of tomatoes.

I have some exciting news to share with you….sweet potato harvest is coming very soon! Rafael dug some gorgeous sweet potatoes yesterday! If the rest of the field looks like the samples he dug, we’re going to have a great sweet potato harvest this year! We haven’t eaten any yet, remember we have to cure them first to convert their starches into sugar. Start gathering your recipes, they’ll likely be in your box within about three weeks or so. Have a great week and we hope to see you at the party this weekend!---Chef Andrea

Featured Vegetable: Orange Kabocha Squash

This week we’re packing one of our longtime favorite squash varieties, orange kabocha. The varietal name for this squash is “Sunshine,” something we will take in any way we can get it given the recent rains and gray skies! You’ll recognize this vegetable by its bright orange skin and rounded, disc-like shape. This variety is also sometimes called a Japanese Pumpkin and is similar to other squash varieties such as orange kuri and buttercup. This squash has a thick wall of flesh and a small seed cavity. The flesh is dark orange in color and has a silky, custard-like texture when cooked.

This is a very versatile squash and may be used for a variety of preparations including soup, puree, baked goods, curries, stews or simply roasted. You can often use this squash variety in recipes that call for buttercup, butternut, or orange kuri as well as any recipe calling for pumpkin. The flavor of this squash is excellent and surpasses even the best tasting pumpkin.

You’ll find kabocha squash to be a very dense squash that will require a little bit of effort to cut into. Unlike some other winter squash, kabocha squash has a very thin skin that can be either peeled away or just eaten. The skin is most tender shortly after harvest and toughens up the longer it is in storage, thus may not be as desirable to eat. There are several ways you can cook this squash. My go-to easy, low maintenance method is to just cut the squash in half, remove the seed cavity and put the squash halves, cut side down, in a baking dish. Add a little bit of water to the pan and bake the squash at 350°F until the squash is soft and tender when pierced with a fork. Remove the squash from the oven and turn the halves over so they can cool. Once cool enough to handle, scoop the cooked flesh out of the shell and either mash or puree the flesh. Once the flesh is cooked, you can use it to make a simple squash puree seasoned with spices of your choosing and a pat of butter. Orange kabocha puree can also be used in baked goods and desserts. This rich, sweet flesh makes a delicious pie filling and yields rich, moist, flavorful quickbreads, muffins, pudding and soufflé.

Aside from baking, kabocha squash may also be roasted or simply steamed. In Japanese cuisine, kabocha squash are also referred to as Japanese pumpkins. Known for their simple, clean preparations, you’ll find Japanese recipes for kabocha squash to be equally as simple with just a few ingredients. Slices or chunks of kabocha squash are often steamed or simmered in a simple dashi broth with kombu seaweed and sometimes miso, soy sauce and sometimes sake. This week we’re featuring Amy Chaplin’s recipe for kabocha nishime which is made using this type of method for steaming. Amy recommends including this as a component in a nourishing Bento Bowl, a Japanese way of eating a variety of simple preparations including steamed rice and/or beans, steamed greens and pickled vegetables. You can also roast kabocha squash as you would prepare any other root vegetable or potato for roasting. When prepared this way the exterior of the squash gets nice and crispy while the flesh inside stays moist and sweet.

This squash is also delicious when used in soups, stews and curry dishes. It is also really easy to preserve. I like to cook a lot of squash at the same time and then puree the flesh. I pack it in quart freezer bags and then lay them flat in the freezer to freeze them in “pillows.” I can thaw these bags really quickly and then use the squash as a quick side dish during the winter—just heat and add salt, pepper and butter. It’s also super quick to pull out a bag of the prepared squash and turn it into bread, cookies, pie or some other tasty treat.

I’ll take a minute to mention squash seeds. While we usually encourage you to save the seeds from your winter squash and roast them to make a crunchy snack, I have to admit I don’t care for the seeds from a kabocha squash. They have a thicker hull and are more tough and less enjoyable to eat. Save your efforts for some of the other squash that will come later such as the sugar dumpling, festival and butternut squash.

Kabocha Squash Bread with Toasted Walnut Cinnamon Swirl

Yield: One 9-inch loaf

Photo from Amy Chaplin's book,
At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen

Cinnamon Walnut Swirl:

1 cup toasted walnut halves, chopped

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 Tbsp maple sugar (may substitute brown sugar)

2 Tbsp maple syrup

Squash Batter:

½ to 1 medium kabocha squash, peeled, seeded, and cut in ½-inch dice (about 3 ½ cups raw)*

2 cups spelt flour

2 tsp baking powder

¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ cup maple syrup

2 Tbsp milk (dairy or non-dairy)

½ tsp sea salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg, beaten

Make the Cinnamon Walnut Swirl: Place walnuts, cinnamon, maple sugar, and maple syrup in a bowl; mix to combine and set aside.
Make the Batter: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a loaf pan and line bottom and two longer sides with a sheet of parchment paper; set aside.
Steam squash for 10 to 12 minutes or until soft. Place in a medium bowl and mash with a fork. Measure out 1 ½ cups cooked squash and set aside. *(see note below)
Sift spelt flour and baking powder into a medium bowl and stir to combine. Add olive oil, maple syrup, milk, salt, vanilla, and egg to the mashed squash; whisk until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, fold flour mixture into squash mixture until just combined. Spread half of batter over bottom of loaf pan. Layer cinnamon-walnut mixture evenly over batter and top with remaining batter. To create a swirl, use a small rubber spatula or butter knife to zigzag back and forth through the batter (across pan) and one stroke straight through the center of the loaf (lengthwise).
Place in oven, and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow loaf to sit 5 minutes before carefully turning out and placing on a wire rack. Slice and serve warm.

*Chef Andrea Note: Alternatively, you can cut the squash in half and put the two halves, cut side down, in a baking dish with a little water in the bottom. Bake in a 350°F oven until tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven and turn the squash over so they can release steam and cool enough to handle. Scrape out the seed cavity and discard it. Scrape the remaining flesh away from the skin. Mash it with a fork or puree it in a food processor. Measure out 1 ½ cups cooked squash for the bread and refrigerate or freeze the remainder for another use.

This recipe comes from Amy Chaplin’s book At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen: Celebrating the Art of Eating Well.

Kabocha Nishime

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Photo from Amy Chaplin's book,
At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen

Note from author: Nishime is a Japanese cooking style that means “long-cooked with little water.” In macrobiotic cooking, it is said to create strong, calm energy and restore vitality. This amazingly simple method is perfect for root vegetables and winter squash, as they become super-sweet and meltingly tender.

2 pound kabocha squash

4-inch piece kombu

¾ cup water

1 tsp mirin

1 tsp tamari

Pinch sea salt

Remove seeds from squash, leave skin on, and cut into 1 ¼-inch wedges. Cut each wedge in half to make triangles. Place kombu in bottom of a medium-large pot or one that will snugly fit all squash in one layer. Lay squash skin-side down over kombu and arrange in a circle, with pointy end of squash facing the center.
Pour in water, and add mirin, tamari, and a pinch of salt to center of pot. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until squash is cooked through. You can test it with a toothpick or tip of a small knife; cooking time will depend on the thickness of the flesh. Remove from heat and carefully lift squash into serving bowl
The cooking liquid you are left with is sweet and flavorful and can be poured over the squash when serving. Or you can simply drink it, as I love to do.

This recipe comes from Amy Chaplin’s book At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen: Celebrating the Art of Eating Well. She recommends including this squash as a component in a simple meal mirrored after the Japanese bento meal concept where different components are served in a lacquered box with divided compartments for each component. To simplify this dish, skip the box and just create your own bento bowl. Amy suggests choosing several different components such as steamed rice, the kabocha nishime, pickled vegetables and/or steamed greens. Create a bowl for each diner with the components each desires. This is a simple way to make a beautiful, nourishing meal.

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

October 5, 2017 - This Week's Box Contents, Featuring Kabocha Squash

Cooking With This Week's Box

This week’s box has a burst of color with the gorgeous orange kabocha squash! There are a lot of things you can do with this squash, but this week I’m going to use it to make a simple, seasonal One-Pot Kabocha Squash and Chickpea Curry (See Below). This is very easy to make and uses the sweet peppers and tomatoes in this week’s box as well as some of the swiss chard. Either mini sweet peppers or orange Italian frying peppers will work in this recipe. This is actually better the second day, so it’s a great dish to make on the weekend and serve for dinner on a night during the week when you know you won’t have a lot of time to cook.

Tomato and tomatillo season will be quickly coming to an end. We’re glad to be able to send tomatillos one more time before they’re really finished! Now that the nights are getting more cool, I’m more in the mood for warm, comforting stews. One of my favorite recipes is for this Pork & Tomatillo Stew. The tomatillos help thicken the stew and the carrots, potatoes and pork make it warm and satisfying. Serve it with corn muffins, corn tortillas or chips on the side.

Every once in awhile I get hungry for comforting dishes from my childhood. Growing up in central Indiana, we had many ways to use mayonnaise and nearly every church potluck had several versions of a creamy broccoli and cauliflower salad. So this week I’m reviving that salad with this Sweet Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad. My family always encourages me to make it with the bacon, but you could easily leave it out or substitute toasted sunflower seeds instead. While this recipe calls for both broccoli and cauliflower, you can also make it with just one or the other if you don’t have both in your refrigerator. This salad goes well with a simple deli meat salad or my mom often served it with barbecued chicken or ribs.

I have to admit I’ve had my fill of fresh salsa, but tacos is a pretty easy go-to dinner during busy times. To keep it interesting, I often serve tacos with different toppings. This week I’m going to make some Mexican-Styled Pickled Carrots. These make a spicy, tangy topping for tacos using this week’s carrots, red onions and jalapenos. The recipe is for 4 pints, so I’ll probably scale it back to make just 1 pint. If you want to make more, go for it. They’ll store for several weeks in the refrigerator.

I really enjoy jicama best in its raw form as a salad or slaw. With the remainder of the sweet peppers in this week’s box, I’m going to make this Jicama & Sweet Pepper Slaw we featured in our newsletter back in 2013. This slaw goes very well with grilled fish or chicken.

Back in 2011 Chef Bonnie spent the summer with us and developed this recipe for Fresh Turnip Salad with Curry Vinaigrette. It’s been awhile since I’ve made this, but I have been on a curry kick lately and remembered her salad. It’s bright and refreshing and utilizes both the turnip tops as well as some salad mix for the base of the salad. If you want to turn it into a main entrée salad, just add some grilled chicken, fish or even baked tofu or tempeh.

Lastly, you’ll probably have about half of your bunch of chard remaining if you use it to make the Kabocha Squash and Chickpea Curry recipe I mentioned in the beginning. If you make some extra rice to serve with the curry dish, you can use the leftovers to make these Chard Leaves Stuffed with Rice and Herbs. They’ll make a nice option to take for lunches or serve them with a salad for a light dinner.

Ok folks, that’s a wrap. Get ready for more warm, comforting soups and stews in the weeks to come. Here’s a little tidbit of information to give you something to look forward to. Word on the street around here is that we’ll be harvesting sweet potatoes next week! We’ll need some time to “cure” them before they’re ready to eat, but they should be in your boxes within a few weeks! Have a great week!—Chef Andrea

Featured Vegetable: Orange Kabocha Squash

This week we’re featuring the first of several different varieties of winter squash we grew for you this year. This week’s selection, orange kabocha squash, is shaped like a plump round disc and has a stunning bright orange skin with deep orange flesh inside. This is one of our favorite squash varieties because of its excellent eating quality, and in most years, its ability to store for several months. While we typically don’t deliver this squash until November at the earliest, we’re including it in your boxes earlier because we suspect it may not store as well this year. We’ve already noticed some spots forming on some of the squash and have been removing them from our storage bins at a greater rate than we normally see at this point in the season. The storage-ability of a squash is directly related to the growing conditions in the field. We suspect the rainy wet period we had at the end of July and first of August may have, in some way, impacted the shelf life of this squash this year. The ones we’ve cooked and eaten have had excellent flavor and sweetness, so we can’t stand to compost them and would rather pass them on to you sooner than later!

You’ll find kabocha squash to be a very dense squash that will require a little bit of effort to cut into. Unlike some other winter squash, kabocha squash has a very thin skin that can be either peeled away or just eaten. The skin is most tender shortly after harvest and toughens up the longer it is in storage, thus may not be as desirable to eat. When cooked, the flesh of kabocha squash is very rich, silky-smooth, sweet and flavorful. There are several ways you can cook this squash. My go-to easy, low maintenance method is to just cut the squash in half, remove the seed cavity and put the squash halves, cut side down, in a baking dish. Add a little bit of water to the pan and bake the squash at 350°F until the squash is soft and tender when pierced with a fork. Remove the squash from the oven and turn the halves over so they can cool. Once cool enough to handle, scoop the cooked flesh out of the shell and either mash or puree the flesh. Once the flesh is cooked, you can use it to make a simple squash puree seasoned with spices of your choosing and a pat of butter. Orange kabocha puree can also be used in baked goods and desserts. While most recipes won’t call for this squash variety specifically, you can use this squash as a substitute in any recipe that calls for pumpkin or butternut squash. This rich, sweet flesh makes a delicious pie filling and yields rich, moist, flavorful quickbreads or muffins.

Winter squash is an important part of our fall and winter diets from both nutritional and culinary perspectives. They are rich in carotenoids, the nutrient compound that gives their flesh its orange color. They are also good sources of Vitamins A & C as well as potassium, manganese, folate and a variety of B vitamins. This squash pairs well with other fall fruits and vegetables including apples, pears, herbs, and onions.

For longer storage, winter squash is best stored in a cool, dry location at about 45-55°F. However you can also keep them on your kitchen counter and enjoy their beauty if you are going to eat them within a few days or weeks. I would encourage you to eat this week’s selection sooner than later. Watch them and if you notice any spots starting to form on the exterior, cut that area out of the squash and cook the remainder immediately. If you aren’t ready to eat squash yet, consider baking your squash and pureeing the flesh. You can put the pureed squash in a freezer bag or container and pop it in the freezer. I love having some cooked squash in the freezer to use during the winter to make soup, baked goods, or just to warm up with a pat of butter and serve as a vegetable side dish.

If you enjoy this squash variety and would like to have more, we will be offering this variety as a produce plus option for the next two weeks. Check this week’s “What’s In the Box” email for details and get your order in for delivery within the next two weeks!

One-Pot Kabocha Squash & Chickpea Curry

Yield 4-6 servings

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger

½-1 jalapeño, finely chopped (quantity to your liking)

2 tsp ground turmeric

2 tsp ground cumin

3 cups fresh or canned tomatoes, diced

2 cups diced sweet peppers

3 cups peeled, diced kabocha squash

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 cans (13.5 fl oz each) coconut milk

2 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce

½ cup water

3 cups thinly sliced Swiss chard or spinach

Salt & Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

½ bunch cilantro, chopped (optional)

1 oz fresh basil, thinly sliced (optional)

Cooked brown rice, to serve

Heat a Dutch oven or other deep saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp of the oil to the pan. When the oil is hot, add the minced garlic, ginger and jalapeño. Saute over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add one more tablespoon of oil along with the turmeric and cumin. Stir to combine and saute for another minute. Add the diced tomatoes, peppers, squash, chickpeas, coconut milk, tamari and water to the pan. Stir well to combine and then bring the mixture to a boil.
Once the mixture has been brought to a boil, reduce the heat just slightly so as to maintain a rapid simmer. Cover the pan and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove the cover and simmer an additional 15-20 minutes or until the squash is tender and the liquid portion of the curry has reduced a little bit.
Stir in the chard or spinach leaves and simmer an additional 5-8 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Taste the curry and adjust the seasoning to your liking by adding salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve over rice and garnish with fresh basil and/or cilantro.

(Note: This curry is even better the second day, making this a great recipe to use for batch cooking at the beginning of the week for meals throughout the week!)

This recipe was adapted from a similar recipe for One-Pot Eggplant, Pumpkin and Chickpea Curry featured at www.heavenlynnhealthy.com.

Roasted Winter Squash with Parsley, Sage, and Rosemary

Yield: 6 Servings

2 pounds kabocha or butternut winter squash

Olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 plump clove garlic, finely chopped

1 heaping tsp chopped fresh sage

1 heaping tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Heat the oven to 375°F.
Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Scoop out the seed cavity and slice the squash into crescent moon slices. Peel the squash and cut into 1-inch chunks; you should have about 4 cups.
Toss the squash in enough olive oil to moisten it, then season with ½ tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper. Loosely arrange the squash in a single layer in a large baking dish or on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Roast the squash until the pieces are tender and browned here and there, about 35 minutes. Every 10 minutes or so, give them a turn so that they color evenly.
When the squash is tender and golden, warm 4 tsp oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, sage, and rosemary and cook just long enough to remove the raw taste of the garlic, a minute should do. Turn off the heat, and add the parsley. Next, toss this mixture with the cooked squash. Transfer to a serving dish, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Recipe adapted from Deborah Madison’s Vegetable Literacy.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Winter Squash 101- Everything you need to know!

This week, we’re honing in on all things winter squash because, let’s face it, fall is here and that means it’s time to embrace winter squash. Before we get into the specifics of each of the winter squash varieties that we grow, we’ll take a step back and give you a little background about the planning and strategy that goes into getting these squash into your kitchen.

Long before the planting season begins, Farmers Richard and Andrea begin the process of selecting which winter squash varieties to grow in the coming year. For the most part, these decisions are based on a few simple factors: appearance & size, taste & sweetness, and how well it stores. The squash you’ve seen this fall in your boxes or at our market stand all possess this trifecta of ideal characteristics—albeit, to varying degrees. We also try to select squash that will span the season with some being best shortly after harvest and others that get better with time in storage.

Winter Sweet Squash

Once planting season arrives, squash transplants are nestled in along row after row of silver—or reflective—mulch. This practice largely serves as a deterrent to common pests like cucumber beetles and squash bugs. Based on the thickness of each particular squash variety’s shell, their vulnerability to these pests and their razor sharp mouthparts varies somewhat. Typically, however, any bacteria that makes its way into one of these hardly noticeable nibbles inflicted by a cucumber beetle produces a spot. This tiny spot will affect the shelf life of the squash.

Knowing this, we take great care to ‘baby’ each and every one of our winter squash as we handle them during harvest & packing. Using large portable tanks, our crew washes each squash in the field during harvest, a process that removes both dirt and bacteria. This allows us to minimize the amount of handling, which in turn limits opportunities for puncture wounds. From the field, our crew moves the day’s harvest to our warm and toasty greenhouse where they undergo a process of curing and then are held in storage.

Orange Kuri

Whether it be in the field or on the packing line, we keep an eye out for those spots I mentioned before. Any afflicted squash are culled immediately. But alas, the Harmony Valley family can only consume so much squash! While we deliver squash with nearly every box once fall sets in, you don’t necessarily have to eat it right away. It’s much easier for you to keep your eye on a few squash than it is for us to monitor thousands of squash nestled into bins. Once you receive your squash, your job is to keep an eye out for any signs of aging, spots forming, etc. Even if a spot appears on the surface, it is still perfectly edible. Simply cut out the spot and eat that squash or cook it and freeze the cooked flesh. Overall, store your squash in a warm, dry place—like your kitchen table for seasonal décor or your countertop. Do not store squash in the refrigerator or in an uninsulated garage. They could get chill injury from being in a cold environment less than 45 degrees. It also helps to be aware that the sweeter the squash and the more thin the rind, the poorer its storage ability. These varieties should be eaten first.

And now, let’s take a look at Harmony Valley’s 2015 winter squash varieties!

Orange Kabocha

Orange Kabocha and Orange Kuri: These squash are similar in appearance and use. Kabocha is rather squat in shape and features a bright orange, dull and slightly bumpy skin. Orange kuri has a similar appearance except it is pointier on top. Both have a sweet, rich, nutty flavor profile and a chestnut-like texture that is quite similar to a sweet potato, with pumpkin influences. Highly versatile, these can be steamed or baked. If opting for the latter, cut your squash in half and remove the seeds first. Bake in the oven in a pan with a small amount of water, cut side down. Thanks to their dense flesh, this squash is ideal for curries, but may just as easily be pureed for your next batch of squash soup. It’s also a good selection to use in baked goods.

Butternut Squash

Butternut: This winter squash variety has a long and somewhat slender neck and a more bulbous, rounded bottom. We intentionally grow smaller varieties so they can be used in entirety once cut. Butternut features a mild flavor and a silky texture. Its smooth skin makes it easy to peel using either a vegetable peeler or paring knife. The seeds can either be discarded or roasted and eaten as a fall snack. Butternut can be used in both savory and sweet dishes, from soups and pastas to breads and mashes. Stored properly, butternut will keep for several months.

Honeynut Butternut

Honeynut Butternut: The product of crossing a butternut and a buttercup, honeynut butternut squash are adorable. They more closely resemble their butternut parent, though they’re much smaller in size and feature a rust-colored skin. Honeynut butternut’s flesh is very sweet, with a smooth, non-stringy texture. Their high sugar content makes them ideal for sweeter preparations, though they can also be substituted for regular butternut in any recipe. These little squash are challenging to grow and are not the best keepers. We delivered them in some boxes over the past two weeks. If you have one on your counter, we’d recommend you use it soon.

Sugar Dumpling Squash

Sugar Dumpling: Whitish-yellow and green in color, sugar dumplings are small and compact, with ridges that run vertically. Their flesh is sweet and flavorful. Sugar dumplings can be used in sweet or savory preparations and are ideally suited to recipes that call for sweet potatoes or pumpkins. In general, you can halve, quarter or even whole-roast and stuff these little squash. Like honeynut butternut, sugar dumplings aren’t the best keepers. We delivered these several weeks ago. If you still have some, keep your eye on them and use them within the next few weeks.

Festival Squash

Festival: Festival squash—often called carnival squash—are the product of an acorn-sweet dumpling cross. Yellow or cream in color with green and orange striping, festival squash feature a mild, nutty flesh and a firm texture. This variety is an excellent choice for baking or stuffing. Typically, preparation doesn’t require peeling, but do note that festival’s skin is not typically eaten. This squash will keep for up to one month.

Delicata Squash Tacos, find the recipe here:
Delicata Squash and Black Bean Tacos
With Salsa Verde and Lime Sour Cream

Delicata: Delicata squash are oblong in shape, with yellowish skin and green striping that runs top to bottom. Their flesh is sweet and creamy—similar to a sweet potato but on the earthier side. Delicata’s thin skin is edible, so there is no need to spend time and energy on peeling. Halve this squash before roasting—or slice it into rings for even faster cooking, taking care to remove the seeds. Partly due to their thin skin, delicata are very poor keepers. These were among the first squash we sent your way.

Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti: Spaghetti squash are oval-shaped and light yellow to gold in color. After cooking, one scrape of its mild flesh will tell you how this squash got its name. Spaghetti squash’s long, noodle-like strands are similar to angel hair pasta—they’re tender and somewhat chewy, but still on the delicate side. In terms of preparation, there’s no need to peel this squash—simply roast and scrape. Due to its very mellow flavor, spaghetti squash are best incorporated into bold, savory dishes where it won’t have to compete for attention—it’ll simply blend in. This squash can also step in as a healthy alternative to pasta. Spaghetti squash will store for about one month.

Cha-Cha Squash

We have a few other varieties you might see in some of the latter boxes. We have been trialing a few new varieties including a dark green kabocha called Cha-Cha. The past two years we’ve also grown a squash called Winter Sweet. This is a unique one in that it is actually better after it has been in storage for several months. We selected this one specifically because it is one we can store and then deliver in January.