Harvest Headline – November

Winter Squash 

Winter squash is now being harvested and available at your farmers’ market. The crops are very good, and the varieties are amazing! 

This tasty seasonal squash is often thought of as just a decorative gourd used during the fall season and many people are unfamiliar with the wonderful variety this squash offers. They have a delicious, mildly sweet flavor with the added benefit of ease of cooking. Roast, then cube, mash, or serve in the shell with a bit of brown sugar and butter.  

Widely available at your farmers’ markets this season, there are often varieties not seen at your supermarket like honeynut (a smaller version of butternut), Hubbard (a big gray-green oblong squash), buttercup (dark green and small), and carnival (small, mottled yellow and green variety).  

The more common varieties include acorn, butternut, kabocha, spaghetti, and delicata, all with a mildly sweet flavor and yellow to orange flesh. They are coming into the markets now and will be available through December. 

Our farmers say their crop of winter squash is very good this year because of last winter’s rain and this summer’s milder temperatures. They arrived a bit earlier than usual this season, according to the farmers we spoke with. 

Chong Thao of FT Fresh Produce in Fresno says their kabocha squash is being harvested now and is already available. “The squash is good this year, big and heavy, because of the weather.” 

Blue House Farm has a nice variety of organic winter squash in Pescadero where they grow kabocha, buttercup, Hubbard, acorn, and others. Farmer Ryan Casey says “Our winter squash is already here, and we have new varieties this year like Cinderella, Polar Bear, and a new cheese pumpkin squash.” 

Be sure to pick up some of these wonderful winter squashes next time you visit your local farmers’ market. Then try one of the tasty recipes developed by our chefs! The cozy flavors of fall are now here in these amazing vegetables!