Squish Squash

[Lindacakes]

Can we talk about squash?

I love squash, summer squash, winter squash. I love the idea of it and I love the look of it. Or, at least, I used to.

A couple of weeks ago I bought a dumpling squash at the farmer's market. It was delicious. Tasted like pudding. Smooth, sweet. Everything a squash should be.

So, I went nuts and bought a bunch of squash, I started keeping a plate of beautiful squash on the table and patted myself on the back for an autumn job well done.

Except for one thing.

Is it me? Or does the squash taste different this year? Stringy, watery. Not so good. Bitter. Darn yucky. Am I cooking it wrong? Do I not know the secret of squash? Is there a better way than cutting it in half, baking it in the oven, and buttering it? Drizzle of maple syrup? I did try peeling it first, thinking that the peel was causing the squash to retain moisture. I pureed it to bypass the string issue. It was drier and smoother but still bitter.

I'm afraid to try a butternut; I've always loved butternut. But I'm afraid I've decided everything else tastes awful and there's nothing left.

Tell me your squash secrets.

[Emily_R]

I'm confused -- what kind of squash are you using? And they weren't decorative gourds / squashes, were they? Butternut is my go-to because it is never stringy and pretty much always sweet and buttery. But I've had the stringy watery experience with Kabocha squash, which I know some people love but I just don't...

[Lindacakes]

Achorn, dumpling, sugar pumpkin.

[Emily_R]

Its interesting -- I had a bad sugar pumpkin experience last year -- I bought one to make one of those baked pumpkin recipes, where you fill it with bread and gruyere and white wine and bake it. The pumpkin was awful -- stringy and flavorless...

[Shel_B]

The first question I'd ask is, what kind of squash did you get? How old was it? Just because it waqs purchased at a farmers' market doesn't mean it's fresh.

Spaghetti squash might fit your description.

We like kabocha, butternut, acorn, delicata, carnival.

With some squash, like the kabocha that has a very hard shell and is difficult for us to cut, we zap it in the microwave for a few minutes and then continue cooking, either by baking or putting it in soup, etc.

Over the past few years we've never had a squash that was as you described. However, I just remembered that we have a butternut that's been sitting around for a while. Maybe this weekend I'll cut it open and see what it's like.

Here's a good site for squash: http://whatscookinga....net/squash.htm

And another: http://www.foodsubs.com/Squash.html

Edited November 1, 2012 by Shel_B (log)

[lindag]

My experience has been that squash quality varies quite a bit from year to year.

I've have kabocha that was amazing and the next year it was bland and boring.

Same with acorn squash, anymore it seems to lack flavor.

I've always been crazy for Hubbard and I've had the best luck with it, it seems more consistent from one year to the next. I just love the deep flavor of it.

Linda

[HungryC]

Like any agricultural product, quality varies with weather, soil, rainfall, etc. Cucurbitaceae (the family of squashes, melons, cucumbers) are prone to influence from surrounding plants in the same family....the standard gardening lore is not to plant them close together, as the cuces will make the sweet melons and squashes bitter. If its a farmers market squash, go back to the vendor and tell him what you tasted....

[Lindacakes]

Interesting points. Thank you.

Yes, true, the squash could be old. I doubt it would be watery then? I tried two different vendors -- I was surprised to find the same result at both. Maybe it is a weather thing.

I'll try more, more varieties. I was terribly disappointed because the first dumpling was so damn good.

[andiesenji]

Winter squash have to be kept cook or they continue to "ripen" or mature after picking. You have to store them between 40 and 50 degrees F or they will lose moisture and the flesh will become stringy.

When picking squash be sure they are very heavy for their size, compare several that are approximately the same size and weigh them and pick the heaviest, they will have the most moisture in the flesh. This does not mean they will be watery, they will last longer than the others.

Only buy winter squash that still have the stems attached - do not buy any where the stems have been broken away leaving an open "cup" .

Squash harvests do vary from year to year. The best ones are harvested after the nighttime temps have dropped into the forties for at least two or three weeks prior to harvest. One exception is pumpkins that have a higher sugar content that helps to retain moisture in the flesh and they are not as picky about maturing at lower temps.

I have The Squash Cookbook by Yvonne Young Tarr. It is out of print but is available from ABE books.

Alibris probably also has it, I didn't check.

The original was published in 1978 but the 1995 reprint has updated information.

I have a couple of other squash cookbooks but this one is by far the best.

[Lindacakes]

Thanks for the tips, I'll get the book.

I had no idea -- I thought squash just kept forever . . .

These squash would have been picked before the cold you describe.