Bet You Never Seen a Squash like me: Delicata Squash!

This little beauty is one all-time favorite squash. I can not wait till the end of August or 1st of September for this one to come into season. My mother nor my grandmothers grew or cooked this squash.  I found it one day at a local vegetable stand and have been hooked ever since.  

Delicata squash is a variety of winter squash with cream-colored cylindrical fruits striped in green or orange that are cooked. As its name suggests, it has characteristically a delicate rind (or skin). It is also known as peanut squash, Bohemian squash, or sweet potato squash. It is a very sweet variety with a thin, edible skin and is typically cut into half rounds and roasted. It is a cultivar of the species Cucurbita pepo, which also includes the summer squash varieties pattypan squash, zucchini, and yellow crookneck squash, as well as winter squash varieties including acorn squash, spaghetti squash, and most pumpkins used as Jack-o-lanterns.

Delicata squash are easily grown. Seeds are started after all danger of frost is past and the soil is warm or within 3–4 weeks before the predicted last frost date in the area. Seeds directly sown are placed one inch deep, 5-6 to a hill; hills are 6 feet in all direction from other hills. Roughly 105 days after germinating, delicata squash are ready to be harvested. Curing takes approximately a week in a warm, dry place that is protected from frost, such as a garage. Despite being classified as a winter squash, delicata does not store well over long periods like most other winter squash.

Delicata squash is most commonly baked, but can also be microwaved, sautéed or steamed. It may be stuffed with meat or vegetable mixtures and is known for its ease of cooking and creamy flavor and texture. The seeds of the squash are also eaten, usually after being toasted. This squash is not as rich in beta-carotene as other winter squashes, but is a good source of dietary fiber and potassium, as well as smaller amounts of vitamins C and B, magnesium, and manganese.

Indigenous to North and Central America, squash were introduced to early European settlers by Native Americans. “‘Delicata’ was first introduced by a seedsman in the USA in 1894 (Tapley et al. 1937), but a fruit very much like those of this cultivar was illustrated by Naudin (1856).” (Paris 1989). As a cultivar, is “more or less unique and is not readily classifiable in any one modern group” (Paris 1989). The standard delicata is vinous; however, bush varieties have arisen including ‘Bush Delicata’, and seed sellers offer varieties with more sweetness as ‘Sugar Loaf’ and ‘Honey Boat’. Delicata squash almost disappeared after the Great Depression, and wasn’t widely grown due to its susceptibility to mildew diseases. This was changed in the early 2000s, when a group at Cornell University’s Department of Plant Breeding, led by Molly Jahn, bred a non-hybrid open pollinated variety, Cornell’s Bush Delicata that was resistant to most known squash diseases, and won the 2002 All-America Selection (AAS), a seed-industry award   and is now the primary commercial cultivar.

Baked and Stuffed Delicata Squash

Ingredients

1/3 pound bacon, cubed, or to taste

1 lb of good pork sausage

12 ounces of chicken or vegetable broth

1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend, or to taste

1 cup of season bread crumbs

⅓ large purple onion, diced

1 clove elephant garlic, chopped 

2 Tbs of butter

½ finely chopped celery

1 pinch ground multi-colored peppercorns, or to taste

1 pinch salt

1 Tbs Poultry Seasoning

6 to 8  delicata squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

½ cup chopped cherry tomatoes, or to taste (optional)

⅛ cup parsley, or to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add celery, onion, garlic, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in seasonings and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Combine bacon, sausage, shredded Italian cheese blend, onion misture, garlic, olives, bread crumbs, broth, pepper, seasonings and salt in a bowl and stir to blend. Place squash halves in a baking dish and fill each with stuffing.

Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown on top, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve garnished with parsley and cherry tomatoes (Optional).

You may use this stuffing for other winter squash such as the  Acorn, Butternut, Honey Nut, Sweet Dumpling, Baby Bear, Buttercup and Carnival.