Choosing the sweetest squash can be a challenge, as there are so many varieties available. You can grow both summer and winter squash, and between them, they encompass over 100 varieties. Many are tasty and satisfying, with flavors ranging from nutty to buttery, but which are the best for sweetness? If your experience of growing squash has only resulted in the occasional slice of zucchini bread or carving of pumpkin, this is your chance to cultivate and harvest some of the most divine varieties available.
Squash is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, which includes cucumbers. Often grown and harvested as a vegetable, squash is botanically a fruit. Native to the Andes and Mesoamerica, there are five edible species consumed for their flesh and seeds. They may be referred to as squashes, gourds or pumpkins. We've included winter and squash varieties in our selection of the sweetest. Summer squash is a tender fruit, while winter squash has a harder outer shell to give fruit a longer shelf life.
The Sweetest Squash for Every Season
If you've grown pumpkins for cooking, you'll know they can be used for sweets like pies, quick breads and cookies. But are they the sweetest squash available? Assuming pumpkins are as far as you've ever ventured, prepare to be amazed. Winter squash varieties for those with sweet cravings comes with delectable names, including Bonbon, Buttercup, Carnival, Sweet Dumpling and Tahiti Melon.
Meanwhile, sugary summer squash varieties include Cousa, Papaya Pear, Tatume, Tromboncino and Zephyr.How to pick the best-tasting squash is arguably a matter of personal taste – and you're certainly spoiled for choice. But here are some of the sweetest varieties to grow and harvest.
Best Tasting Winter Squash for Sweetness
Perhaps you've only ever tried winter squash in the form of a pumpkin pie, which has been sweetened with other ingredients? But some of the best-tasting winter squash are also some of the most naturally sweet. Give some of these squash varieties a try, and you’ll see each has unique characteristics.
Pink Banana
Highly productive, this tender-fleshed option is the largest of the non-pumpkin varieties. Pink Banana can weigh over 50 pounds (23 kg), with a pale pink or pinky orange skin.Delicious in bakes.
Honeynut
Honeynut looks like a butternut, but has an even sweeter taste. One of the best tasting winter squash for seasonal soups, this honeyed variety is also delightful when roasted and mashed.
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Kabocha squash (aka Japanese squash) has a creamy sweetness that is ideal for roasting and stuffing. This squash variety is a staple of Japanese cuisine and it also makes a delicious tempura.
Also recommended:
Honey Bear – One of the sweetest varieties of acorn squash, and perfect cut in half and roasted, with no need for a brown sugar topping. It really lives up to its name.
Delicata – This squash has a thinner edible rind than other winter squashes and is fabulous baked or sliced into soup. Also delicious roasted with maple syrup.
Butternut – Widely held to be some of the best-tasting squash, butternut squash have a rich, dense taste, evocative of sweet potatoes.
Best Tasting Summer Squash for Sweetness
Many of the best-tasting summer squash have a fresh or nutty taste. These include Green Eggs, Eight Ball and Gold Rush Yellow Zucchini. Indeed, many gardeners have some experience of growing zucchini in the home garden. While it is versatile, zucchini tends to absorb the flavors of other ingredients with which it is cooked. So here are a few of the sweetest summer squash.
Patty Pans
Patty Pans are not only beautiful fluted, yellow squash, but they also have a lovely buttery, nutty flavor. Thanks to their firm texture, you can cook them at a relatively high heat.Lovely when roasted or grilled.
Ronde de Nice
This tender French heirloom variety is a baby round zucchini with mellow, sweet flavor. Nutty and creamy, the compact yet generously fleshed Ronde de Nice is perfect for stuffing or roasting.
Cube of Butter
Cube of Butter squash has a creamy white flesh with a buttery flavor. These sunny-skinned, cylindrical fruits can be picked small or large, and areexcellent eaten raw or cooked.
Choosing the Sweetest Squash for Cooking
When identifying the sweetest types of squash for cooking, maturity and season have a part to play. Harvest summer squash when the fruit is immature and the rind is tender, and eat either fresh or cooked with the skin on. Eat soon after harvest, or store in the refrigerator for up to a week.Summer squash is best for grills and stir fries. It generally becomes soft and degrades rapidly if over-cooked.
Winter squash is picked at maturity, and its hard rind is discarded either before or after cooking. The seeds of many winter squashes are delicious roasted. These varieties are ready late summer-early fall. Store them in a cool, dry area for two-four months.Cooked with the skin on or off, they hold up much better to longer cooking times.
Don't Forget the Best-Tasting Blooms
We're sure this selection will satisfy your sweet tooth – but make sure you save some room for the equally tasty floral arrangements. That's right, harvesting squash flowers gives you some of the best-tasting menu accents for celebrations, dinners, or even cheeky snacks. You can eat the bloom from any type of squash, and they are delicious. They taste a bit like a radish and can be eaten fresh or cooked. The best way to cook them is to stuff them or dip them in batter and fry them.Enjoy!
Winter squash is an annual fruit representing several squash species within the genus Cucurbita. Late-growing, less symmetrical, odd-shaped, rough or warty varieties, small to medium in size, but with long-keeping qualities and hard rinds, are usually called winter squash.
varieties for those with sweet cravings comes with delectable names, including Bonbon, Buttercup, Carnival, Sweet Dumpling and Tahiti Melon. Meanwhile, sugary summer squash
summer squash
Summer squash are squashes that are harvested when immature, while the rind is still tender and edible. Nearly all summer squashes are varieties of Cucurbita pepo, although not all Cucurbita pepo are considered summer squashes.
Known as one of the easiest to grow of the 4 families, some popular moschata varieties are Butternut, Cherokee Tan, Seminole, and Watham squash. These need to be cured for 6-8 weeks and are medium to long vining so they need lots of dedicated space. This family can store the longest, from 4-6 months.
Honeynut Squash: The sweetness and flavor made this a clear winner. Delicata Squash: This is actually tied with acorn squash and both are similar in texture and flavor which is why they are ranked at the top.
Acorn squashes are dark green, sometimes with yellow or orange patches. They are relatively small and round with sectioning similar to a pumpkin. They are sweeter than butternut squashes, and you can easily make them into dessert with some brown sugar, nuts and spices (like I do in this recipe).
'Yellow Crookneck' 'Yellow Crookneck' takes longer to start fruiting and the harvest period is long. This is a classic-looking bumpy crookneck summer squash and a gardening favorite. The 'Yellow Crookneck' variety takes a bit longer than some to begin fruiting, but once it begins, the harvest period lasts quite long.
Winter squash varieties for those with sweet cravings comes with delectable names, including Bonbon, Buttercup, Carnival, Sweet Dumpling and Tahiti Melon. Meanwhile, sugary summer squash varieties include Cousa, Papaya Pear, Tatume, Tromboncino and Zephyr.
In addition to vitamins A and C, butternut squash is also rich in carotenoid plant pigments and minerals like potassium, magnesium, and manganese. Like acorn squash, butternut squash can be used in both savory and sweet dishes, such as baked goods, grain dishes, and soups.
Winter Squash 'Mashed Potato' is a white-skinned acorn-type with almost white flesh that when baked, scooped out, mashed and seasoned has the look and taste of mashed potato.
But delicata squash is my favorite by far. Nicknamed the “sweet potato squash,” it has a sweet, velvety flesh that caramelizes beautifully in the oven. But that's not all. Thanks to its small size and thin, edible skin, it's super easy to work with.
Flavor: No, spaghetti squash doesn't actually taste like spaghetti. It has a tender, chewy, fragile texture, and a very mild flavor. Unlike other winter squash varieties, it lacks sweetness.
This squash has a lot of antioxidants, which can boost your immunity and help your body to fight off certain diseases. Acorn squash contains antioxidants like vitamin C that help strengthen bones and blood vessels. It also has vitamin A, which helps improve the health of your lungs, heart and other vital organs.
If it's your first time, grow one or two kinds of squash. If you like zucchini, or another less common type of summer squash (soft, easily cut ones that cook quickly) like yellow crookneck or patty pan, grow that. Summer squash is fairly easy to grow and famously generous.
Squashes like warmth and full sun, in rich, moisture-retentive but not waterlogged soil. They need plenty of space – even the more compact bush varieties can easily spread to 90cm (3ft) across. Before planting out or sowing seeds outdoors, prepare the ground where each squash will grow.
In addition to being both delicious and prolific, bush squash are also quick to mature—75 to 85 days for most varieties, compared to more than 100 days for many vining squash. In areas with a short growing season, bush varieties make a winter squash crop possible.
We recommend planting zucchini and summer squash from late May to early July, depending on the season's temperatures and rainfall. It's a warm season crop, so it needs warm air, warm soil, and no chance of frost.
Prevents fruit rot: Squash fruits can grow to be very large and heavy once they mature, and allowing them to sit on the moist ground for too long can lead the fruits to rot. Elevating your squash off of the ground will help to prevent rotting.
Introduction: My name is Saturnina Altenwerth DVM, I am a witty, perfect, combative, beautiful, determined, fancy, determined person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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