Butternut squash is a fruit that grows on a vine. As it ripens it’s colour turns orange and many say it tastes similar to a pumpkin. In Australia, it is actually regarded as a pumpkin.
Squash is very healthy containing large quantities of fibre, vitamins (A and C), magnesium, potassium and manganese. During the warmer months it is imported from Argentina but in Britain is grows between autumn and the winter.
It is a good fruit for the kitchen as it can go into a lot of dishes. Curry, soup and different bakes are well suited and in Africa it is often baked with nutmeg and cinnamon.
Many people are put off by squash because you must remove all skin and seeds before cooking. However, if you have a good peeler (an ordinary potato peeler is usually fine) and knife this won’t take more than a couple of minutes.
When buying a squash it should weigh around a kilo and be quite firm. If you buy one that is substantially more than 1kg they tend not to have as much flavour. If you tap it you should hear a hollow sound and ensure there are no green shades on the skin of the fruit. Some supermarkets sell pre-prepared squash but it is usually better (and cheaper) to prepare it yourself as you’ll get more of the goodness.
When storing squash the best place is a dark, cool cupboard in the kitchen. I prefer not to put it in the refrigerator because the wet atmosphere can cause it to rot. If you buy a few in a sale and want to keep them over a longer time there is nothing stopping you freezing squash. I recommend removing the skin and seeds first though, and perhaps chopping into cubes before sticking them in the freezer. You could always make a squash soup instead to freeze.
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