native to: Mexico and Central America
in season here: fall
Winter squash come in many varieties, but they all have a fairly hard outer shell and a hollow inner cavity full of seeds. Modern squashes developed from the wild squash of an area between Guatemala and Mexico, and were first cultivated for their seeds, the flesh being meager and very bitter. While roasted pumpkin seeds are the best known these days, the seeds of all winter squashes can be toasted to make a healthy snack, full of linoleic and oleic acids. Place them on a baking sheet and roast them at 160-170F for 15-20 minutes to minimize damage to these fatty acids.
Winter squash has been known to be an important source of carotenoids, especially alpha-carotene and beta-carotene. 90% of their total calories come from carbohydrates, and about half of that has a starchy composition, so they're one of the starchier vegetables, but not all starch is created equal: there are a number of animal studies showing that the pectins in winter squash have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and insulin-regulating properties. Other antioxidants in winter squash include good ol' vitamin C and manganese. Cucurbitacins, named after the squash family, Cucurbitaceae, are also found in brassicas, some mushrooms, and some molluscs, but were first discovered in winter squash. They have anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Winter squash also have valuable amounts of omega-3s, especially when you consider that less than 15% of their calories come from fats. They also provide plenty of B-complex vitamins: B1, B3, B6, pantothenic acid, folate, and the B-vitamin-like compound d-chiro-inositol, which are all important to blood sugar regulation.
Winter squash can be used to help clean up contaminated soil, absorbing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other contaminants; which is great if you're doing environmental work, but not so great if you're planning to eat the squash. This is a good time to insist on that "organic" label, even though conventionally-grown squash is not known for containing pesticide residues. It keeps best out of the light in a steady 50-60F.
Read more:
label-style nutrition information for cooked butternut squash
label-style nutrition information for cooked acorn squash
label-style nutrition information for cooked spaghetti squash
label-style nutrition information for cooked pumpkin
a guide to 10 common types of winter squash
and apparently you can also eat pumpkin blossoms
Versión en español: this post is also available in Spanish.
Esperanta traduko: this post is also available in Esperanto, because Dana is a language geek.
