Know your Squash

Petit pan squash

• • Summer squash is the category that includes those squash harvested during the growing season, while the skin is still tender and the fruit relatively small.

  • They have soft seeds and thin, edible skins, and tender flesh with a high water content.

  • Summer squash is very perishable and may last only five days even when refrigerated in a plastic bag.

  • They are consumed almost immediately after harvesting and require little or no cooking.

  • They're usually separated into yellow, straight or crookneck varieties; scallop-shaped "petit pan" fruits; or round, softball-sized types.

  • Summer squash grow fast, usually maturing within 2 months of planting, and continue to produce all season long.

  • They are prolific, reliable producers, but they don't store well, so use them right away.

Know your Squash - Winter squash

• • Winter squash is the category for those squash harvested at maturity, generally the end of summer, cured to further harden the skin, and stored in a cool place for eating later.

  • Winter squash have thick and hard seeds and skin, and flesh that is firmer.

  • Winter squash, protected by its hard skin, can be stored much longer and does not require refrigeration, lasting a month or more in a cool dark place depending on the variety.

  • They generally require longer cooking time than summer squashes.

  • Winter varieties include butternut, Hubbard, buttercup, ambercup, acorn, and spaghetti squash.

  • The image right is of butternut squash, a great favourite in England.

  • Most winter squashes are vine-type plants whose fruits are harvested when fully mature.

  • They can be stored for months in a cool storeroom-hence the name "winter" squash.