It's beginning to turn to fall in Georgia, as the humidity begins to drop (some days, at least), and nighttime temperatures fall into the range of truly comfortable. It's the time of year that, among other things, winter squash begins to come into season.
We're all aware of pumpkin spice, but what about other winter squashes?
Winter squashes in general are known to be good sources of carotenoids, vitamin C, and fiber. They're fairly low calorie foods, and for many of us, they're also delicious.
Here are a few good options for this time of year:
Butternut
Many of us are very familiar with the butternut squash. Its orange flesh often figures prominently in soups and other recipes for fall and winter. It can be a hard one to cook; skinning it raw takes a lot of effort, but you'll be rewarded with sweet and delicious mouthfuls at the end.
Delicata
The somewhat lesser-known delicata squash is actually a little sweeter than the butternut. Even better, the skin is edible and can be cut through easily with a sharp knife, so preparation is much simpler. This is a great simple, quick roasting squash; here's a great recipe here. If you haven't eaten delicata before, you're missing out!
They're usually yellow with some green striations of the skin; the picture above is a green heirloom variety with the same general shape.
North Georgia Candy Roasters
These squashes come from the North Georgia area, as their name implies. They're long and pink, with bluer ends, and orange flesh inside. They can take some work to peel before roasting, but their sweet flesh is delicious. You can learn more about them, including how to cook them, here.
This squash can be hard to find, and I'd definitely recommend your local Georgia farmer's market as your best source, unless you want to grow them yourself. The one pictured above came from Fry Farms at the Heritage Sandy Springs Farmers Market.
The local farmer's markets are a GREAT place to get your winter squashes, picked fresh and ripe by the farmers who grow them, along with beets, onions, and other fall and winter vegetables. If you're not sure where to find your nearest local farmers market, here's a great resource.
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