Plant Characteristics/History

Modern day squash developed from the wild squash that originated in an area between Guatemala and Mexico. While squash has been consumed for over 10,000 years, they were first cultivated specifically for their seeds since earlier squash did not contain much flesh, and what they did contain was very bitter and unpalatable. As time progressed, squash cultivation spread throughout the Americas, and varieties with a greater quantity of sweeter-tasting flesh were developed.  Today, the largest commercial producers of squash include China, Japan, Romania, Turkey, Italy, Egypt, and Argentina.

Winter squash include pumpkins, acorn, butternut, and spaghetti squash. Winter squash are members of the Curcurbitaceae (cucumber) family and have hard skin that is difficult to pierce but which enables them to have long storage periods (1-6 mths).  Their flesh is mildly sweet in flavour and finely grained in texture. 

Varieties of winter squash include:

• Acorn squash: This squash has harvest green skin speckled with orange patches, and pale yellow-orange flesh. It has a very unique sweet, nutty, and peppery flavor.
• Butternut squash: Shaped like a large pear, this squash has cream-colored skin, deep orange -colored flesh, and a sweet flavor.
• Hubbard squash: A larger-sized squash that can be dark green, grey-blue, or orange-red in color, the Hubbard's flavor is less sweet than that of many other varieties.
• Pumpkins: Small sugar pumpkins are the culinary variety, weighing only a few pounds, as opposed to the larger varieties used to carve jack-o'-lanterns.
• Spaghetti squash: A larger-sized, yellow squash with light colored flesh that pulls away in strands resembling spaghetti when cooked.
• Turban squash: Green in color and either speckled or striped, this squash has an orange-yellow flesh whose taste is reminiscent of hazelnuts.

Winter squash is available from August through March; however, they are at their best from October to November when they are in season.

Nutrition

90% of its total calories come from carbohydrate, and about half of this carbohydrate is starch-like in its composition. These starch-related components in winter squash have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, as well as anti-diabetic and insulin-regulating properties.  It's combination of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds have clear potential in the area of cancer prevention and cancer treatment.

No single food provides a greater percentage of certain carotenoids than winter squash. Winter squashes are also a very good source of vitamin C (about 1/3 of the Daily Value in every cup) and manganese.  Winter sqush also contain compounds which have anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory substances.  They also contain anti-inflammatory omega-3s.

Winter squash have a high potential in regulating blood sugar and in preventing type 2 diabetes.  Blood sugar regulation is closely tied to our overall supply of B-complex vitamins, and that winter squash is unusual in its B-vitamin composition. This food provides a good amount of five B-complex vitamins! Those vitamins are B1, B3, B6, pantothenic acid, and folate.

Sourced from:  http://www.sharecare.com/question/what-is-winter-squash; http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=63

Storage

Winter squash has a long storage life.  It can be kept for between one and six months, depending upon the variety. To maximize time it will keep in storage prevent direct exposure to light and extreme temperatures (ideally between 50 and 60 degrees F). 

Once it is cut, cover the pieces of winter squash in plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator, where they will keep for one to two days. Cooked winter squash will keep for three to five days refrigerated.

Preperation

Rinse winter squash under cold running water before cutting.  All varieties of winter squash require peeling for steaming except Kabocha and butternut squash. You can peel winter squash with a potato peeler or knife.  If you are baking your squash you don't have to peel it. Cut the ends off, cut the squash in half lengthwise down the middle, scoop out the seeds and bake. Alternatively you can leave the squash whole, pierce a few times with a fork or tip of a paring knife, bake and scoop out the seeds after it has been cooked. You can peel cooked squash easily with a knife and then cut into pieces of desired size.

Prepare winter squash by steaming it as 1-inch cubes.  For most types of squash you only need to steam it for 7 minutes. So you save time and enjoy a host of more nutrients.

Seeds from winter squash make a great snack food.  Scoop the pulp,  separate out the seeds, and place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, lightly roast at 160-170ºF (about 75ºC) in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Roasting them for a relatively short time at a low temperature you minimize damage to their healthy oils (the polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid) and oleic acid (the same monounsaturated fatty acid that is plentiful in olive oil).

Sourced from:  http://www.sharecare.com/question/how-should-winter-squash-stored; http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=63

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Canning

For infromation on how to can winter squash go to:  http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_04/pumpkin_winter_squash.html

Freezing

Select firm, mature squash with a hard rind. For spaghetti squash, mashing the cooked pulp is not necessary.  Cook until soft in boiling water, in steam, in a pressure cooker or in an oven. Remove pulp from rind and mash. To cool, place pan containing pumpkin in cold water and stir occasionally. Package, leaving ½-inch headspace or in suitable sizes for individual recipes.  Seal and freeze.

For more information on how to freeze winter squash go to:  http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/freeze/squash_winter.html