Seasonal produce
Winter squash types: delicata, kabocha, spaghetti, butternut
Winter squash is a fall harvest that sells long after the vines are gone. UMass Extension says Massachusetts-grown winter squash is harvested from September to November and is available through April; Purdue Extension’s FoodLink lists winter squash as available from August to November. The four you’ll see most are delicata, kabocha, spaghetti and butternut. They don’t cook the same way, so here’s which is which and what to do with each.
Winter squash season at a glance
Harvest: September to November in Massachusetts (UMass Extension); August to November availability in Purdue Extension’s FoodLink. Shelf: UMass says local squash is available through April, because mature winter squash keeps. The thin-skinned kinds (delicata, spaghetti) are the ones to cook first. How long each kind keeps, and how to store it, is on how to store winter squash.
How to pick any winter squash
University of Alaska Fairbanks Extension: a hard, tough rind means full maturity, and a tender rind means an immature squash with poor eating quality. Pick one that feels heavy for its size (UAF; UMass; Purdue), and skip any with cuts, punctures, or sunken or moldy spots (UAF; UMass). Purdue adds two checks: pass on squash with moist, black or shriveled stems, and a squash with a green rind should have an orange spot where it rested on the ground. Don’t chase perfect color. UAF says slight variation in skin color doesn’t affect flavor, and Serious Eats says bumps and discoloration on the skin are fine; soft spots, bruises and mold are not.
Delicata: the one you don’t peel
What it looks like: an oblong yellow squash with green and white stripes (UMass). Serious Eats says delicata and sweet dumpling are two forms of the same squash, cylindrical vs. squat and round, and that the skin is on the softer side. University of Maine Cooperative Extension lists delicata (and acorn) as squash whose skin you can eat, because it turns tender when baked or roasted. How to use it: Serious Eats says it takes well to sautéing, steaming, roasting, microwaving, baking and simmering. Halve it, scoop the seeds, slice it into half-moons with the skin on, and roast. It goes straight into the roasted squash skillet. Delicata is an eat-first squash, so buy it for this week, not for January.
Kabocha: cook it long enough
Serious Eats calls kabocha a staple in the Japanese kitchen, with rich, sweet flesh that is unpleasantly starchy unless it is cooked long enough to bring out its sugars. The flesh is dry, so it is often steamed or simmered, which adds moisture. The mottled green skin looks tough, but Serious Eats says it is edible when cooked and is often left on in Japanese dishes; take it off for purées. How to pick one: it’s a green-rinded squash, so use Purdue’s check and look for the orange spot where it sat on the ground, plus a hard rind and good weight. Purdue lists kabocha with buttercup and hubbard among the longest keepers, so it’s a good squash to buy ahead.
Spaghetti squash: strands, not cubes
Serious Eats: the smooth-skinned yellow spaghetti squash cooks into translucent strands, and its mild flavor borders on bland, so it needs flavorful sauces or a rich cheese. Roast it until fully cooked and the strands pull easily away from the skin. UMass says most winter squash can be swapped for one another in recipes, except spaghetti squash; it suggests using it in place of pasta and topping the cooked strands with sauce or pesto. Don’t eat the skin: University of Maine lists spaghetti squash among the tough-skinned kinds best baked skin-on and scooped out. Serious Eats says its skin is thinner than some other kinds, so like delicata it’s one to cook early.
Butternut: the all-rounder
UMass: peanut-like shape, smooth beige skin, orange flesh and a sweet, nutty flavor. Serious Eats says it works baked, boiled or steamed but is particularly well suited to deep roasting. How to pick one: Purdue says butternut should be deep tan without green streaks, and Serious Eats adds that a good one sounds hollow when you knock on it. How to cut it (Serious Eats): slice off the stem and blossom ends, cut the narrow neck from the round bottom, peel with a Y-shaped peeler, scoop the seeds, then cut it into chunks. University of Maine says not to eat butternut skin; peel it, or bake it skin-on and scoop out the flesh. If the skin fights your peeler, UMaine’s trick is to rinse and scrub the squash, pierce it in several spots, microwave it on a plate for about 3.5 minutes (or more as needed), let it cool enough to handle, cut off both ends, and peel.
Two ways to cook almost any of them
Roast (Purdue FoodLink): halve the squash, remove the seeds, poke a few holes in the skin, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and roast cut side down for 30 to 45 minutes, until a fork slides in easily. Bake (UAF Extension): halve or cut into serving pieces, remove the seeds and strings, set cut side down in a shallow dish with about ¼ inch of water, and bake at 400°F for 30 to 40 minutes until almost tender; then turn cut side up, season or fill, and bake about 20 to 25 minutes more. Save the seeds: University of Maine says seeds from acorn, butternut and spaghetti squash can be rinsed, dried, seasoned and roasted, and smaller seeds cook faster.
What to cook this week
Delicata or butternut cubes go straight into the roasted squash skillet. Bought more than you’ll cook this week? Read how to store winter squash before it goes in the pantry. For what else is peaking, see pumpkins, the November produce guide and the produce checklist.
Recipes and related guides
Roasted squash skillet · How to store winter squash · When are pumpkins in season? · November produce guide · Produce checklist
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