cheese pumpkin
Also known as the Long Island Cheese Pumpkin, this squash is squat and round like a wheel of cheese. Like many pumpkins, the seeds are edible but the stringy pulp should be removed before using the squash for its flesh or seeds. When cooked, it has a very sweet flesh and a smooth, fine-grained texture and offers a mild, subtly sweet pumpkin flavor.
Great for: pies and soups.
kabocha
Kabocha is a Japanese variety of winter squash with many varieties. It is excellent in soups, stews, and pies. With a firm, dry flesh, kobacha squash lends itself well to savory dishes and can be baked, steamed, stuffed, or pureed. Works well as a substitution in recipes that call for pumpkin or sweet potatoes.
Great for: soups, stews, pies, roasting, and stuffing.
carnival
This speckled, and striped, pumpkin-shaped squash has a sweet, mellow flavor comparable to butternut squash. The carnival’s skin must be peeled. The thick skin on winter squash is what allows this squash to last a while. The carnival’s yellow flesh is excellent stuffed and is flavorful like sweet potatoes and can be turned into a fine stuffing or steamed/baked with butter and fresh herbs.
Great for: roasting and stuffing.
turban
This lovely squash comes in a variety of peculiar shapes and colors, including green, orange, and yellow. Although very decorative, the turban squash can definitely be roasted and eaten. Peeling this squash will be much easier after baking it for a bit. Larger versions of this squash may be roasted and filled with soup to be used as edible bowls; the hazelnut flavor and floury texture lends itself well to this. The turban is also a good source of vitamins A and C, as well as potassium and iron.
Great for: purees, roasting, and soups.
delicata
Resembling a fat cucumber, this oblong, pale yellow squash is also called sweet potato squash because of its texture and sweet, creamy flavor. No peeling is needed because the delicata’s skin is completely edible. Being very filling and easy to cook, this squash makes a perfect substitute for starchy carbs. Delicata squash is a good source of magnesium, manganese, and vitamins A and C. Try it with butter and brown sugar caramelized from the oven or with butter and herbs.
Great for: roasting and stuffing
cinderella
The Cinderella pumpkin is a unique French heirloom. It resembles the pumpkin that Cinderella’s fairy godmother transformed into a carriage. This pumpkin is recorded as possibly being the variety cultivated by the Pilgrims, and served at the second Thanksgiving dinner. Cinderella squash makes a delightful decorative accent for the fall season, and its flavor is good for any pie or winter squash recipe.
Great for: pie filling, breads, and decorating
sugar
Sugar pumpkin is the modern baking pumpkin. Round, small, and sweet with brightly colored orange skin, this squash is perfect with almost everything. Unlike its larger field pumpkin friends, the sugar and other smaller pumpkins make for a great addition to any meal, much like acorn squash. When pureed, the sugar pie is great in breads, pancakes, soups, and even pasta dishes, such as ravioli. These versatile little pumpkins can even be hollowed out and roasted to hold custards or soups as a fun and useful decoration for your fall dinner parties.
Great for: breads, pancakes, pie filling, purees, ravioli, risottos, and soups
hubbard
The hubbard squash is a large winter squash that can weigh from eight to twenty pounds and range in color from gray-blue to orange to green. Under its hard, thick, and nubbly skin is savory, sweet, yellow flesh. The flesh is best suited for mashing or pureeing for pie filling because it is sometimes grainy in texture. If stored correctly, this squash can last up to six months! The hubbard is a wonderful source of vitamin A. When seasoning, try it with butter and cumin or nutmeg, and then turn the leftovers into a delicious spice cake.
Great for: mashes, pie filling, and purees
butternut
This bottle-shaped squash is one of the most common but with good reason. Its tangerine-colored flesh is low in fat and has significant doses of potassium, fiber, and vitamins A, B6, and C. Butternut squash, with its long, thick neck, also has the most flesh within. And since the skin is so smooth, it makes for an easy peel. Because of its sweet, nutty flavor, this squash combines well with a large variety of seasonings, from bacon to cinnamon, or without other flavors at all. It even tastes great wrapped in a burrito with other goodies.
Great for: purees, roasting, and soups.
