Venus Rising

Food for SoulIssue: Libra 08

Celebrate the Season With Winter Squash

Watercolor of Banana Squash by Philip GaligaFrost flirts with the garden this month. The chilly nights and crisp, dry days usher in the fall with its list of seasonal foods. The star of the moment is winter squash because it is one of the few vegetables left in the garden that is hardy enough to withstand the soft freeze. And, winter squash is a stalwart that can last up to a few months and provide flavor, color, and fresh garden produce well into winter.

Winter squash blesses us with a plethora of variety, in all matter of shape, size, hue, texture, and taste. There are over 40 types of well documented winter squash all with the defining characteristic of thick inedible skins, or rinds, as opposed to the tender edible skins of summer squash. Grown on annual vines, winter squash is of Western origin, with evidence of use in North, South, and Central America dating as far back as 7000 BC. Europeans did not experience winter squash until explorers brought it home in the late 1500s. At its introduction, Europeans called it a melon and gave it less than enthusiastic ratings.

In its home, Native Americans treasured squash, and it was an essential part of their diet.  Squash, corn, and beans were all integral foods of Native Americans who affectionately dubbed the trio “three sisters” after a legendary Iroquois sibling set who were inseparable. In other lore, the seeds of squash were thought to increase fertility if planted nearby and thus were elevated to deity status with the finished fruit called the “apple of God.”  Technically the word squash is not God given but a derivation of the Native American word akutasquash and means “food eaten raw.”  Even with so many varieties of squash, it is hard to imagine which was favored raw.

From the same biological family that includes cucumbers and melons, which are eaten raw, today’s winter squash are enjoyed cooked. Walking the line between sweet and savory, squash such as pumpkin and acorn are often baked and drizzled with sweets such as maple syrup or honey, making a lovely side to seasoned stuffing. Others, such as hubbard and spaghetti are often made into savory renditions with simple additions of butter, salt, and pepper. While pumpkins have found their fame in pie, other winter squash can be just as delicious in the classic autumn dessert.