consciouseating
PoshSquash
by Anjela Boyd
What vegetable may be round, oblong or
Butternut squash, with a more traditional texture, is
generally beige on the outside, with rich, orange flesh inside.
spherical, smooth or bumpy and comes in This squash makes for a tasty soup or may be simply split in
a variety of rich autumn colors? Hint: It can
half, drizzled with honey or maple syrup and butter or olive
oil, plus a pinch of salt and pepper, and baked until soft.
sit prettily on the kitchen counter through
Other varieties have a flesh similar to that of the butternut,
kind of like a pumpkin that is rich and creamy when cooked.
March, waiting for someone to figure out The many rich fall colors of winter squash add a piquant
its full range of possibilities.
touch to any holiday table with little effort. Treating the
squash like a Halloween pumpkin by cutting a hole in the
top and scraping out the majority of the flesh is the first step.
The answer is winter squash. This flesh can be baked in a casserole, cubed and added to
stuffing, creamed into a wonderful side dish or even made
into soup. More ideas on how to cook up squash turn up in
The most common types of winter
an Internet search. A vegetarian cookbook may also offer
squash are butternut, acorn and spa-
other innovative recipes.
ghetti. Others include buttercup, ba-
A fun bonus comes in using the squash shells as soup
nana, Cushaw, delicate, Hubbard and
bowls. Save each squash top, garnish the tasty winter soup
turban. A plentiful variety exists within
and add the natural lid to surprise guests with the wonder-
each type of squash, with a choice of
ful treat within. Smaller varieties can be used as bowls
sweetness, color and size.
for dips or as creative containers to serve salad dressing
Winter squash differ from summer
at the table.
squash in part because they are kept on the vine to full maturi-
For strictly decorative use, winter squash make a long-
ty, when the seeds are completely grown. Winter squash tend
lasting base for a seasonal flower arrangement, either as a
to have a harder exterior that helps to maintain their freshness
place accent or centerpiece. Another special touch comes
when stored in a cool place over the long winter months. The
in carving small shapes into different-sized shells and placing
most notable difference between winter and summer squash is
small glasses with tea lights in the bottoms.
that winter varieties are only served cooked, while most sum-
To add extra sparkle, press small crystals
mer squash can be eaten raw, as well as cooked.
or other light-reflecting stones into the
The most unusual winter squash is the spaghetti squash.
outer rind. Now, that’s a posh squash.
When fully cooked, the scooped-out flesh resembles spa-
ghetti and can be used in place of noodles in a savory dish
Anjela Boyd is a freelance writer based in
or sweetened up with a bit of honey, cinnamon and butter
Wrightwood, CA. Connect at Mail4Anj@
for a sweet, spiced treat.
hotmail.com or AnjelaBoyd.com.
0 Collier / Lee Counties
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