ingredient information
Squash Butternut Organic
Acorn Squash, Buttercup Squash, Butternut Squash, Calabaza Squash, Cushaw Squash, Delicata Squash, Golden Nugget Squash, Hubbard Squash, Kabocha Squash, Spaghetti Squash, Turban Squash, Vegetable Marrow Squash These hardy vegetables are neither grown nor harvested in the winter, as the name seems to implyâ€”they grow on frost-tender vines and are actually picked in the fall and stored until spring. Because of their hard, thick skins, they have the ability to keep through the cold winter months, a quality that made this member of the gourd family a staple vegetable before the days of modern shipping and freezing techniques. Under their hard skins, winter squash have large seeds and firm, deep-yellow or orange flesh. Acorn: White acorn is mild and somewhat stringy, with pale golden flesh. Green acorn, which is far more common, comes in a ribbed, dark-green shell streaked with orange; it has moist, sweet flesh, though not as sweet as butternut. To my taste, it's best cut in half and baked on a cookie sheet for about 20 minutes, depending on size, and served with a big dollop of butter. Buttercup: Buttercup has bright orange flesh, which is smooth and very sweet. Turban-shaped, the dark green shell is often streaked with white or grey. Butternut: The most common of the winter squashes, butternut comes in a tannish-yellow, bell-shaped shell. Though this is the squash I hated as a kid, I've had some wonderful soups made with butternut and topped with cheese. More and more, people are coming up with jazzy recipes for butternut. Hubbard: Often sold precut because of its large size and tough shell -- it's the bumpy, bluish colored squash with hints of orange -- the hubbard's flesh is yellow and mildly sweet. Spaghetti: When cooked, it actually separates into spaghetti-like strands, which have a crunchy texture and soft, nutty flavor. Turban: A squat, round squash with three knobs on top, the shell is bright orange with green and white streaks. The flesh is also orange, with a rich, not-too-sweet flavor. Golden Nugget: A pumpkin of a squash, the golden nugget's bright orange meat is mildly sweet. Sweet Dumpling: It looks like a delicata -- a white shell with green pinstripes -- but is rounder and fatter. The flesh is yellow and very sweet -- too sweet if, like me, you love the delicata. Delicata: A long, thin, ivory-colored shell with green and orange stripes covers a yellow flesh with a distinctly creamy, almost buttery taste. It's my all-time favorite. Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled "organic," a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified,(see Butternut Squash)