When it comes to squash, Lynda Jarrett from the Stillman’s Farm stand at the Boston Public Market wants you to think beyond butternut. The market manager walks over to a colorful autumn display and shows off acorn, carnival, dumpling — and the current darling of the squash world, a sunshine variety of the kabocha squash. The bright orange curcibita looks like a cheerier, mini version of the pumpkins we carve for Halloween, but it has a sweet, creamy flesh, with no strings. Jarrett says it works well anywhere you’d use a butternut, and it also makes a great pie.
Her tip for cooking all winter squash is the same: “The best way to deal with them is to bake everything. Get your oven going and then halve it, scoop out the seeds, place it face down on a cookie sheet until it’s squeezable. Then you can take it out, or flip it over and add butter and maple syrup, or make it into something savory.’’
Jarrett is happy that the soggy steamed squash of her childhood is a thing of the past. “We all grew up with butternut squash, it was always on the table as well as acorn, and my mom steamed it or put it in a pot and you don’t get that richness.’’
She says winter squash deserves better. “All it needs is olive oil, salt and pepper, some balsamic, and a hot oven. You will pick at it all day. And then when you go to serve it, there is none there, because you ate it already!’’
Jarrett’s advice for buying the most flavorful fruit is to find a farmer who waits to harvest until they are fully ripe, and “cures’’ their squash — letting them sit in a sunny spot after picking for a week or more. All this makes for a sweeter, sturdier squash.
At the market, look for unblemished skin and no soft spots. But the true test is when you crack it open at home. “You open up a butternut, it’s supposed to be orange. Even the acorn squash, if it’s yellow and not that orange flesh, you’re not going to enjoy it as much,’’ says Jarrett.
Back to that beautiful display. The market manager points out that they have only a few gourds in the mix because squash can pull double duty on the table, first as decoration, then as dinner. “Here you have the carnival [squash] that is so cute, adorable but very edible. It’s perfect for the holidays.’’
Speaking of edible, with most winter squash you can go ahead and eat the skin (and save yourself the trouble of trying to peel the unwieldy orbs). Jarrett says, “Delicata hit the scene and everyone was saying, ‘Oh my God, I can eat the skin.’ Well, I’ve been eating squash skin forever. When it’s baked, everything becomes caramelized, and it’s lovely.’’
Stillman’s Farm at the Boston Public Market, 100 Hanover St., Boston, 508-973-4909, www.stillmans farm.comcatherine smart
Catherine Smart can be reached at cathjsmart@gmail.com.
