Veggie IDs: Winter Squash

At Rainshadow we grow a lot of varieties of winter squash, somewhere around 6-10, it varies by year. You have probably noticed them starting to appear in our CSA choices. The winter squash you find right now are freshly harvested and don’t need to store to sweeten up, so enjoy them fresh now.

How you prep squash depends on the squash type. Delicatas, Jesters, Carnival, and Tetra are best sliced into half moons and roasted. You can eat the skins on these babies! Most of the rest of the winter squashes you will need to peel, either before they cook (a lot of work) or after you roast them (much easier). One of our Chef’s favorite things is to roast whole squash (pumpkins, kabochas, etc.) and then pop them in the freezer or fridge for a bit until they cool down and then pull the skin off. If you get a spaghetti squash, then this is best roasted whole and once done, when you peel the skin away, you should scoop out the inside “spaghetti”.

To store: They store best in a cool dark place, but can often hangout on your counter for a month or so before you absolutely need to attend to them. With that said, they need to be used before they get squishy, but if a small part goes soft, trim it off and you can still use the rest of the squash.

To use: You can slice squash into wedges, peel and cube and roast. You can cook whole and remove from the skin after they are cooked and purée the flesh to make pies or soups. You can roast as slices and cover with pest. Winter squash is best baked and roasted, but you can steam and sauté also.

To preserve for later: Simply cook squash and mash or purée it. Then pour it into ice cube trays and freeze or freeze in ziplock bags in 1 1/2 cup increments (about 1 can of pumpkin purée). Pop the frozen cubes into freezer Ziplock bags.