Curious about the varieties of winter squash in your shares? Looking for recipes or new ways to use your squash? We’ve included names, photos, and details of each type of winter squash we grow below. It’s a world of pies, curries, soups, salads, desserts, breads, and more to help you eat your way through the fall and winter months locally, seasonally, and deliciously.
Often one winter squash type can be substituted for another in recipes with the exception of spaghetti squash of course. Don’t limit your recipe choices because of the varieties you have on hand. Try a butternut squash pie or kabocha squash bread. Taste as you go and keep an eye on the liquid ratio of your substitution and you’re likely to find a new tasty combo!
How to Store Winter Squash: Store winter squash in a cool, dry, and well ventilated location at 50-55F degrees. A shelf or cupboard in the garage, basement, or pantry is likely your best bet for longest storage. However, a corner of your kitchen may be best for visibility so as not to forget to eat it up.
Winter Squash Butchering: Always start with a sharp knife. For small squash and rounder types, cut off one end to create a flat side to stabilize the squash for further cutting. Larger varieties may benefit from some steaming whole in the oven or microwave to soften them before making the first cut. Click here for 5 Smart Tips for Cutting Winter Squash.
Pie Pumpkins
Classic small sugar pumpkins, sweeter and denser than your Halloween jack-o-lantern, these are bred for flavor over carving. Great for pie and more!
Long Pie Pumpkin
“Virtually stringless, smooth orange flesh that is perfect for pumpkin pies.” – High Mowing Seeds
Acorn Squash
We currently grow three types of acorn squash including Gill’s Golden Pippin, Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato, and Starry Night PMR F1. We’ve chosen these for flavor and storage, traits often lacking in other acorn squash varieties.
Delicata Squash
An oblong type with thin, edible skin (on the left in the photo). We grow a variety called Candystick Dessert which is sweet but richer than other varieties, perfect for the dessert course.
Spaghetti Squash
A squash that cooks up into a pasta alternative? Why not?!
Butternut Squash
Perhaps the most familiar winter squash, butternut is sweet and smooth fleshed and versatile. Pureed into soups, cubed and roasted, or roasted then mixed into pie filling, butternut is easy to enjoy. We grow a couple of varieties to ensure varied fruit sizes and maturity by harvest time.
Black Futsu
Related to butternut, this Japanese heirloom variety has similar bright orange, smooth, sweet flesh. It’s as versatile as butternut too, with a thin edible skin.
Kabocha
With thick sweet, flaky flesh, kabocha squash are in a class all their own. We grow several varieties including Sweet Mama F1 (green), Winter Sweet F1 (blue), and Winter Blush F1 (pink) , all chosen for flavor and storability.
Tetsukabuto F1
A hybrid cross between butternut types and kabocha types, this Japanese variety brings the best of both worlds. Flavorful, productive, and a long storage life. We usually save this one for the last shares in the Winter CSA, but it’s tasty sooner too.
For more winter vegetable inspiration you might like to check out the Eat Winter Vegetables website, a collaboration between the Culinary Breeding Network and Oregon State University.
