There are two frequent sorts of squash – summer season and winter – that are members of the Cucurbitaceae household together with pumpkins and gourds. This household comprises over 100 genera and over 700 species of various kinds of squash.
Traditionally, varied squash sorts have been used not solely as meals sources but in addition as home goods. With so many types of squash, it’s tough to slim it right down to 2 or3, which is as a lot house as most of us have for rising squash in our gardens.
Issues get much more complicated if we think about that squash additionally refers to watermelons, muskmelons, pumpkins, cucumbers and gourds. For our functions nonetheless, I’m going to slim it down to 2 sorts of squash, summer season and winter, and focus on the ten various kinds of squash I believe it’s best to find out about and embrace in your backyard.
Frequent Kinds of Squash
As talked about, squash is split into two frequent classes: summer season and winter varieties. Summer season squash are these squash that may be picked all through the summer season when the pores and skin continues to be mushy, immature and edible, whereas winter squash is harvested when it’s mature and the pores and skin is difficult, usually late in the summertime to early fall.
Tender summer season squash has one other distinction from its relative winter squash – it would not maintain for almost as lengthy. Winter squash, with its extra impervious rind, might be saved and saved for 1-6 months.
1. Zucchini
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Probably the commonest of the summer season squash, zucchini is a inexperienced, skinny skinned squash that may be eaten recent or roasted, sauteed, stuffed and even grated into dessert recipes. Curiously, the seeds and flowers (stuffed squash blossoms!) are edible as nicely.
Zucchini isn’t solely inexperienced. It additionally is available in an excellent yellow which is way the identical taste, presumably a bit sweeter, than inexperienced zucchini. In both case, larger doesn’t all the time imply higher. The fruit grows quickly and in the event you don’t test on a regular basis chances are you’ll find yourself with zucchini the scale of a baseball bat. Sadly, these enormous zucchini lack taste considerably and the seeds and pores and skin grow to be robust, so decide them when small.
Spineless Magnificence Hybrid Squash Seeds
This zucchini plant is has nearly no spines, which implies you may harvest scratch-free all summer season lengthy.
2. Pattypan
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So lovable, patty pan squash have a singular scalloped edge and are available inexperienced, yellow or a mixture of the 2 hues. They’re nice shortly sauteed to maintain their crunch, or might be grilled or stuffed relying on their measurement.
Sunburst Hybrid Squash Seeds
These cute one (or two) bite-sized squash high out at 3×2 inches and can fill your backyard with a smattering of sunshine.
3. Luffa
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This one is a little bit of a shock. We’ve all heard of loofah sponges… possibly you even have one in your bathe. However do you know they’re constituted of a squash? A loofah sponge is a totally mature luffa squash. The luffa dries because it matures with the pores and skin cracking to disclose the inside of the squash – a loofah sponge match for scrubbing.
Younger luffa appear like zucchini with ridges, and they are often eaten uncooked like a cucumber or utilized in recipes as a substitute of zucchini.
4. Yellow Squash
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Yellow squash comes both as crookneck or straightneck. Crookneck squash appears to be like identical to what it feels like: a yellow squash with a curved neck. It’s often harvested when it’s extra mature to permit the fruit to kind a curved neck. This implies this selection has bigger seeds and thicker pores and skin than different summer season squash varieties.
Straightneck squash is similar vibrant yellow coloration as crookneck however missing the curved neck. Each have barely bumpy, yellow pores and skin with white flesh. It will also be cooked and used very like zucchini.
Enterprise Hybrid Squash Seeds
This adaptable yellow squash from Park Seed is will make for an explosive harvest in just about any local weather you throw its method.
5. Zephyr
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Zephyr squash is a dense summer season squash, moderately much like patty pan’s texture. It’s a hybrid of yellow crookneck and two winter squash – acorn and delicata – so it’s not exactly a summer season or a winter squash.
Zephyr is a two tone squash. Mild inexperienced on the blossom finish and yellow on the high stem finish. Its inside is creamy hued with a wealthy, candy, nutty taste. Right here once more, the leaves and flowers are edible as nicely.
6. Spaghetti
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Spaghetti squash is fingers down my favourite winter squash if solely as a result of it’s nothing just like the others. The closest factor the feel resembles is the rationale for its identify. The inside of this squash is fully paying homage to spaghetti – sure, the pasta! And with its gentle, impartial taste, it may be used precisely prefer it.
Its rind ranges from yellow/orange to a lemony yellow. When cooked the creamy flesh separates into stringy spaghetti-like strands. What a solution to get the children to eat their veggies!
Tivoli Hybrid Spaghetti Squash Seeds
This squash plant stays small and is nice for containers, however it’s nonetheless a prolific producer!
7. Kabocha
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Kabocha squash or Japanese pumpkin has a bumpy, darkish inexperienced rind. The intense orange flesh has a wealthy, buttery taste. It’s a bit starchier however much like pumpkins, and stated to be a cross between a winter squash and candy potato.
Generally present in Thai and Japanese delicacies, kabocha is getting fairly a following elsewhere for its wealthy nearly custardy flesh and candy, chestnut-like taste.
8. Carnival
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Carnival squash is a small to medium sized squash, spherical and squat with deep furrowing and festive inexperienced and white striping. It’s a hybrid of acorn and candy dumpling squash. It has a candy, gentle taste much like butternut and – very like butternut – works nicely in soups, stews or casseroles.
9. Butternut
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Butternut squash is an especially well-liked squash notable for being the primary ingredient in delectable butternut soup. This nutty squash is at house utilizing quite a lot of kitchen strategies, however roasting the flesh actually elevates the flavour.
Butternut is a bottle or pear-shaped squash, tan in coloration, with a bulbous finish and vivid orange flesh. Filled with fiber, butternut has a candy, nutty taste. It sautes fantastically however better of all, it purees easily making it the proper soup base.
10. Blue Hokkaido
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Blue hokkaido squash is definitely a kind of pumpkin with shocking and really uncommon blue/grey pores and skin underneath which lies brilliantly orange flesh.
Subtly candy and really nutty, it lends itself nicely to a easy dish of roasted squash with salt and pepper or might be pureed or mashed into candy bakery gadgets or soups.
Often Requested Questions
What number of sorts of squash are there?
There are over 100 sorts of squash divided between the two classes of summer season or winter varieties.
What’s the finest squash to eat?
One of the best kind of squash to eat relies upon upon your palate. There are bland, candy or nutty squash and creamy or fibrous and dry or moist. One of the best tasting squash additionally depends upon what you wish to do with the fruit. Roast it, eat it recent, toss it into salad, puree it, bake with it or saute it.
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