Looking for something new, easy to prepare and everyone wants more? For Thanksgiving festivities, try a recently available squash that comes from the breeding program at Cornell University. Butternut squash was bred with buttercup and the honeynut squash was born, looking much like a miniature butternut and sweeter and cuter than its parents.
I had never had honeynut squash, nor had I seen it out in public for sale, until this past summer. It was available at a local farm market but no one I spoke with knew much about it. Then, recently, I saw that Tops was offering 2-pound bags (three squashes per cello bag) at a sale price and I bought one.
This was my first experience preparing and cooking this little squash:
First I washed one. I cut off the stem end, stood the squash up on the flat end and cut it in half lengthwise. Note, honeynut has a very tough skin; it reminds me of a gourd. So, be careful when you cut it, or ask for help, and use a large, long, sharp knife.
Then I used an ice cream scoop to clean out the seed end and any stringy residue. I recommend the ice cream scoop as it saves so much scraping with a spoon.
Now, onto the seasoning. You can put any seasoning you like in the seed cavity and I am sure it would be a hit. I put a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup in the cavity and topped that with a couple of teaspoons of butter. (If you like to use salt and pepper, you could sprinkle it on the face of the squash now, or after it is cooked.) Then I placed the squash on a greased glass plate and put the dish in the oven at 400 degrees for about an hour, going for fork-tender.
The kitchen smelled wonderful as the squash baked and I was anxious to try it. When cool enough, I stirred the flesh and ate every bit of it. I did taste the skin, as I was told that you can eat it, and I did not like it; it was mushy. The squash skin makes a beautiful single serve vessel, put onto a large platter and served like that.
A garnish of toasted walnuts would work well with this squash once it’s done and out of the oven.
When cooking the second squash, I experimented with a baking bag. After filling the seed cavity with maple syrup and butter, I put the squash in a large baking bag, with holes poked in it for steam release, tied the bag and placed it in a large metal baking pan. The squash did not cook more quickly, but the flesh was much finer and drier. Bonus: only a light wipe down of my oven and the metal pan were needed afterward.
The best thing about honeynut squash is the flavor. It is richer and sweeter than the traditional butternut. It also is easier to prepare and serve, and clean up after. It would be good prepared with savory seasoning as well as sweet seasoning. I imagine it would be good sliced and grilled, too. I highly recommend it.
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I do not know all the cultural requirements of raising honeynut squash, but the local climate must be right as it was a Cornell creation for the Western New York region. Because it is a smaller squash, I suspect that it would not need as much ground area to grow. This, I think, would be a good squash to train up and stake.
The honeynut starts out as small, striped green squash. A ripe squash is a medium to dark tan-orange color. When the green stripes have faded, it will be ready to pick.
Honeynut is reported to be storable until about New Year’s day in a cool cellar, or a fruit cellar, should you be fortunate enough to have one.
This would be a good choice to try out next growing season in your garden. I doubt it would be hard to grow, but I have not had access to complete cultural practices, or personally grown it myself yet. It tastes so good, it is worth trying.
I wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving, good health and wealth for the coming year.
Remember, if you can grow food/flowers yourself, you will always have something to eat and bouquets for your table. Share what you can. It will always come back to you.
Garden on!