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Pumpkins are one type of winter squash. All winter squash
contain antioxidants, Vitamins A and C and potassium. Winter
squash falls into the color category of red and orange
vegetables. There are too many varieties of winter squash to
list in one article but a few that might be on the grocery
store or farmers’ market shelves right now: acorn squash,
butternut squash, pie pumpkins, delicata squash and Hubbard
squash.
There are many ways to cook squash. Whether you’re going to
bake, broil, steam, or pressure cook, start by washing the
outside of the winter squash under running water. Next,
decide how you are going to prepare the winter squash.
A few types of squash, like Butternut can be peeled with a
sharp vegetable peeler but that won’t work well with all of
them. A few others like Delicata have a thinner skin and it
can be eaten after you cook it. Most winter squash have hard
skins so it’s often easiest to cook it with the skin and
then remove it once it has cooled down some.
To bake, pierce the skin several times with a sharp knife.
Bake whole squash in baking dish at
400° F until tender when pierced with a fork. Squash could
also be cut in half, remove seeds and strings and place face
down for a “steamed” cooking or face up for a more “baked”
option. Either way, put a ¼ inch of water in the bottom of
the baking dish for cut squash and bake at 350° F. It will
take 30 – 45 minutes to bake and the squash will feel soft
when it’s done.
Before using the microwave to cook winter squash, pierce the
hard shell several times with a sharp knife. Because of the
small size of Delicata squash, it might cook in the
microwave in as few as five minutes! Delicata are small,
oval squash with cream color and dark green stripes.
Sometimes it’s called a sweet potato squash and it’s the
perfect size for a personal serving. Larger varieties of
squash will take longer to cook in the microwave. Once the
squash is soft, take it out of the microwave, slice in half
and remove the seeds
One advantage of preparing your own winter squash is the
seeds! The University of Illinois gives the following
recommendations for homemade pumpkin seeds. You will need:
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1 quart water
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2 Tablespoons salt or salt-free seasoning
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2 cups pumpkin seeds
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1 Tablespoon vegetable oil or melted butter
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Preheat oven to 250°F.
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Pick through seeds and remove any cut seeds. Remove as
much of the stringy fibers as possible.
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Bring the water and salt to a boil. Add the seeds and
boil for 10 minutes. Drain, spread on kitchen towel or
paper towel and pat dry.
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Place the seeds in a bowl and toss with oil or melted
butter.
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Spread evenly on a large cookie sheet or roasting pan.
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Place pan in a preheated oven and roast the seeds for 30
to 40 minutes. Stir about every 10 minutes, until crisp
and golden brown.
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Cool the seeds, then shell and eat or pack in air-tight
containers or zip closure bags and refrigerate until
ready to eat.
Do you use canned pumpkin? Canned pumpkin is convenient to
use. For some recipes, the texture and taste of canned
pumpkin might be more consistent than a homemade pumpkin or
squash puree. If you are using canned pumpkin for recipes
look for the label to say “100% pumpkin” instead of pumpkin
pie filling. Canned pumpkin is an easy way to make pumpkin
muffins, pancakes, soups and dips.
Interested in OSU Extension’s online Zero Weight Gain
Challenge that runs from Thanksgiving to first week of
January? The twice a week email reminders challenge you to
stay on track with healthy habits during this busy time of
year. If you are interested in participating, please email
powers-barker.1@osu.ed with the message Zero Weight Gain
Challenge.
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