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You’ve probably noticed it’s Winter Squash season! Your local grocery store most likely has a variety of squash on display in the produce section, but aside from “looking” seasonal and pretty, many people don’t know what the different varieties of squash are called, yet alone what they can be used for! Hint: they’re more than decoration! Here’s a handy, dandy crash course on Winter Squash, and their many uses. Carnival Squash This colorful variety is a hybrid of an acorn squash and a sweet dumpling squash. It’s perfect for soups and for roasting.  Delicata Squash This Winter squash is pale yellow with green stripes and has an edible skin. Try slicing it into half moons, tossing it in olive oil with salt and pepper and roasting it in the oven for a delicious Fall side dish!  Acorn Squash A smaller squash that varies in color from dark green to orange, with a ribbed rind and orange or yellow flesh. When halved for roasting, the acorn squash can act as a festive bowl for soups or fillings.  Here is the easiest way ever to cook Acorn Squash…in the crock pot! Harvest Acorn Squash Into the crock pot put cleaned, unpeeled squash. Add approximately 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook one hour on High, then change to Low for 6-8 hours. Split and scoop out seeds from cooked squash. Place melted butter, brown sugar, pepper and dash of cinnamon in cavity of squash. Yummy!! Butternut Squash It’s slim neck and round bottom gives this squash it’s distinctive shape. It has bright orange flesh and a fairly sweet and nutty flavor making it great roasted or as a soup. You can use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin.  Sugar Pumpkin It looks like a classic Halloween pumpkin, only a bit smaller. It actually has lots of flesh, and a great pumpkin flavor which makes it great for pie! Try using it instead of canned pumpkin the next time you make a pumpkin pie!  Spaghetti Squash Scraping a fork inside a roasted spaghetti squash will give you strings that closely resemble noodles! It’s mild flavor pairs well with a variety of sauces. It’s a great alternative to pasta! Jack Be Little This adorable little guy is actually best used for decorative purposes only. It has very little flesh, which doesn’t make it very practical to use in recipes, but they sure are cute and make great bowls for dip or soup!  Hubbard Squash Hubbard squash are a fairly large winter squash. They are slightly tear-shaped with dark green to pale grayish blue skins. Because of their size, they are often sold in pre-cut and seeded chunks which are more appealing to home cooks. Hubbards are sweet with a clear pumpkin flavor. Their extra-thick skins help them store through the winter (up to five months in a cool and dry place). A great way to prepare Hubbard squash is to roast them. They are good seasoned with rosemary and black pepper or roasted and then mashed with plenty of butter and warm spices like cumin or nutmeg.  Squash makes a great Fall or Winter meal or side dish. Pinterest is a great resource for recipes, so add squash to your shopping list soon and take advantage of the season!
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