A parade of winter squash, clockwise from left, butternut, calabaza, spaghetti, pumpkin, buttercup and acorn.
It's about this time every year that a family of hard, misshapen aliens appears in our produce sections. They are the colors of the changing leaves, if we had any changing leaves here to reference.
And what strange shapes they are. From oblong and oval varieties to squat specimens that look more like sculpture than food.
They are winter squash, and darn it, if most of us don't know what to do with them. But they are packed with vitamins A and C, plus potassium and betacarotene.
Winter squash typically have a tough, thick skin that preserves the flesh inside for months. They are related to zucchini and other summer squash, which don't have the same life span as their hardy winter kin.
When cooked, winter squash have a mildly sweet flavor, somewhere between a buttery smooth potato and a sweet potato. But they are not the same in texture. Acorn and butternut squashes are smooth, while pumpkin and spaghetti are stringy.
Do not eat the peel of winter squash. Remove it from thinner-skinned, smooth squash with a vegetable peeler. Squash with thicker skin and ridges should be cooked with skin on. Cut them in half, remove seeds and roast, flesh-side down on baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray. It'll take about one hour at 350 degrees for most squash to cook. Salt, pepper and butter to taste.
Winter squash is also good for soups, in chunks or pureed. As the hard-skinned gourds come into high season, expect to pay about 80 cents a pound.
Here are some common winter squashes:
* BUTTERNUT. Bright orange, creamy flesh; not stringy. Thin skin can be peeled easily and the cubes of the veggie add flavor and nutrition to casseroles and soups.
* ACORN. A favorite for stuffing. Yellow-orange flesh is slightly sweet if a little watery. Good alternative to baked potatoes.
* CALABAZA. Oval variety whose skin looks like wood grain. Also called a West Indian pumpkin. Bright orange flesh under thick skin. Roast for best results.
* BUTTERCUP. Similar to butternut in taste but a bit sweeter. The dark green rind has distinctive stripes that can sometimes be silver.
* SPAGHETTI. This has long been the dieter's substitute for pasta because the stringy flesh separates into long strands when scraped out with a fork after cooking. Best cut in half, seeded and baked.
* PUMPKIN. It's for more than pumpkin pie. Peel and use chunks in vegetable soups or puree to fill homemade raviolis.
* TURBAN. Aptly named, because it looks like something Carmen Miranda might wear on her head if she lived in cold weather. Turbans can be baked, steamed or simmered, and also look mighty fine in a table centerpiece.
* DELICATA. An elongated, striped variety that usually weighs less than 1 pound. Yellow, sweet flesh.
