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COUNTRY GARDENS // FA LL 2019
Piled high in a bowl or basket or stacked on a
straw bale beside the front door, colorful winter
squash capture the mood and the magic of
the harvest season. But try them in soup, in a
casserole, in a pie, or with a pot roast. They’re
more than fall decor—they are delicious.
The world of winter squash is big and
beautiful. It goes way beyond the basic varieties
like tawny butternut and deep green acorn.
Charming little delicata squash, just right for
stuffi ng, soup, or dinner for two, have patches of
bright orange or sporty green stripes on a creamybackground. Kabocha squash, which keep for fi ve
months after harvest, have knobby, almost black
skin and an irresistible roly-poly shape. Turban
squash are orange, white, and green, and look like
a cross between a pumpkin and a throw pillow.
Deep green or pure white Yugoslavian fi nger
fruit—with perhaps the strangest shape of them
all—could be a mock-up for a lunar module.
Originally, these crops came from Central
America, but winter squash of every stripe and
size have spread around the globe to become part
of the culture and cookery of North America,Go ahead, eat the decorations.