Anna Delany, adapted from www.Fruits&VeggiesMatter.gov
Squash is one of the oldest vegetables in the world, and has been used by humans in some form for over 10,000 years.
In Native American culture, squash is considered one of the "three sisters" along with corn and beans. According to legend, each of the three sister spirits symbolized and protected one of the "three sister" crops. As the three sisters could not bear to be separated, they were always planted, cooked and consumed together. Not a bad design for a nutritious meal!
Read on to learn more about squash, why it's good for you and how to include it in your diet.
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Winter squash comes in many varieties and sizes. Unlike its summer counterparts, winter squash is harvested at a mature age, which makes the skin hard and inedible. The skin, however, is protective and increases its storage life.
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Acorn This acorn-shaped squash is one of the most widely available among the small winter squash. It measures about 6 inches around and weighs 1 to 2 pounds. Acorn squash is a good source of calcium. Baking is an excellent way to bring out the flavors of this squash. |
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Banana This squash comes in three varieties: blue, orange, and pink. Among the three varieties, the pink banana is the most common in the United States. It is grown commercially in Florida. This large, thick-skinned cylindrical squash averages 20 inches long and weighs around 12 pounds. It is so large that it is usually sold in chunks instead of as a whole. Its creamy textured orange flesh is fruity and buttery to the palate. Although both baking and steaming are great ways to prepare this tasty squash, steaming produces a slightly sweeter, yet still mild flavor. |
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Buttercup This stocky squash is 6 to 8 inches in diameter and averages 2 to 4 pounds. Its popularity stems from its sweet and creamy orange flesh. Its shortcoming is that it tends to be a bit dry. Baking or steaming can solve this problem; the dry flesh becomes smooth and tastes similar to a mixture of honey, roasted chestnuts, and sweet potato. Steaming also softens the flesh and creates a thick puree. |
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Butternut This elongated bell-shaped squash measures about a foot long and weighs an average of 2 to 4 pounds. Its meaty, yet moderately sweet golden orange flesh makes it a very popular variety of winter squash. Because of its thin skin, this squash can easily be skinned with a vegetable peeler, which makes it easy to cut and prepare. Baking enhances its sweet, moist, and nutty flavors. Butternut squash is usually available from August through to March. |
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Hubbard This tear-shaped squash comes in several varieties: green (true), golden, blue, and baby blue. It ranges from dark green to orange and weighs from 5 to 50 pounds. Because of its size, hubbard's popularity has decreased over the years. However, pre-cut portions of green and orange hubbard can be found in markets. Green hubbards are thick, sweet, and dry. Golden hubbards—a smaller squash than the green or blue—are fairly sweet, but have a bitter aftertaste. |
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Spaghetti This oval-shaped yellow squash is also called the vegetable spaghetti. It averages 9 inches in length and may weigh 2 to 3 pounds. When cooked, the crisp, tender, spaghetti-like strands yield a mild, lightly sweet, and fresh taste. Keep in mind that the larger the vegetable, the thicker the strands and the more flavorful the taste. Spaghetti squash is actually a great replacement for spaghetti and goes well with tomato-based sauces. |
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Sweet Dumpling This solid round squash, formerly known as a gourd, is a perfect serving for one person. It is about the size of an apple and weighs up to 1 pound. The skin is a warm cream color striped with ivy green, but changes to butter color and orange during storage. The skin is relatively tender and can be eaten. The pale-yellow flesh is smooth, fine, and dry as a potato and produces a rich starchy, light to mild sweetness, with a slight corn flavor. |
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