The 2016 crop was planted on 37,400 acres, and 36,300 acres of that was able to be harvested. The average price for squash was $32.70 per cwt in 2016. Usually green, they can also be yellow or almost white.For processing and fresh market, the United States grew 4.6 million cwt of squash in 2016 valued at $149 million. Sometimes these are referred to as Italian marrows or vegetable marrows. It can be crookneck or straightneck depending on the shape.Ĭylindrical or club-shaped squash includes varieties like zucchini, cocozelle and caserta. Usually it is white.Ĭonstricted neck squash is thinner at the stem end than the blossom end and is commonly referred to as yellow squash. Scallop (or Patty Pan) squash is round and flattened with scalloped edges. Grated squash can be used in baked goods, like zucchini quick bread and in cakes like chocolate zucchini cake. Stir in some breadcrumbs and cheese and fill the shells and bake. Cut them open, scoop out the flesh and cook down with other vegetables like tomatoes, onions or peppers or meat. Try adding squash to summer vegetable soups or cook them down and puree for a creamy and flavorful soup. Pasta dishes are good with the addition of summer squash or you can add them to a stir fry or to rice dishes as well. They also make great gratins, layered with cheese or tomatoes or tomato sauce. Squash can be sliced and cooked down and put into a casserole to bake or the slices can be sautéed with other vegetables. Try them sliced on a veggie tray with dip. You can add cubes of squash to pasta salads as well. Put them in a green salad or make a salad with chopped summer squash and a creamy or vinaigrette style dressing. Salads are a great way to use up summer squash. Summer squash can be used either raw or cooked. The different types of summer squash are interchangeable in recipes so if you don’t have yellow crookneck but have plenty of zucchini, just replace it. Summer squash are very versatile, which is good since there is so much of it. The squash blossoms are also edible and can be stuffed with a filling or battered and fried for an unusual treat. EDIBLE PARTSĪll of the squash itself is edible except for the stem. Be sure to press the excess liquid from the grated summer squash. If the squash is overgrown a little and has large seeds, scoop them out and grate the flesh and skin to use in quick breads. The pulp from the inside is then usually cooked and added to the filling. For stuffed squash you will cut them lengthwise and scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1/4″ thick shell. The seeds are also edible and usually small so you can leave them and simply slice or chop the squash depending on your recipe. If you are making squash pickles, be sure to remove about 1/4″ from the blossom end as well as the stem to prevent enzymes from making the pickles soft. Simply wash with water to remove any debris or dirt. Summer squash have edible skins so you do not need to peel them. Handle your squash gently as they are immature when harvested and will bruise and puncture easily. Don’t wash summer squash before storing just make sure it is dry and place in perforated bags in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. and will last one to two weeks, but use within 3-4 days for best quality. Summer squash likes to be stored at 41-50 degrees F. Look for unblemished squash that are firm (not wilted) to the touch. Larger squash that are a little overgrown can be salvaged by using in breads where they are grated. So try to choose small to medium squash for most preparations. The younger, smaller squash are more tender and flavorful. Having an arsenal of squash recipes can help you use these up in many delicious ways from soups and breads to side and main dishes. These plants are some of the more prolific producers of the garden with an abundance of squash throughout the summer season. Their skins are thinner and edible since they are harvested before full maturity, distinguishing it from the winter squashes which have hard, inedible skins. The most common summer squashes include yellow squash, zucchini, and scalloped (patty pan).
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