There are many types of winter squash. The definition of winter squash is a squash that will harden their skin in the fall and keep for months. The winter squash family includes all pumpkins.
We all know the acorn type which is dark green, ribbed fruits. There is a golden variety which is less common. I personally do not like them because they do not keep as long as others and their flesh is more stringy and tougher. Banana squash has yellow to pink skins and looks like a yellow super zucchini. The pink variety can weigh over 25 pounds making them hard to work with. I have seen these squash sold as pre-cut chunks in stores.
Buttercup squash a green flatten fruits with a light green blossom end ridge. They make excellent eating because of their dry, sweet flesh. Butternut squash is the most popular. They are a tan, bell-shaped fruit with seeds in the bottom and solid flesh in the top portion. The more orange the skin, the sweeter they will taste.
Delicata squash known also as a sweet potato squash is cylindrical with darker green stripes. The squash does have a sweet potato taste.
Sweet dumpling squash looks like delicata squash, however, is more rounded with a similar taste.
Hubbard squash is large, ridged ranging in colors from orange to grey. One of the longer-lasting squashes up to 6 months. Red Kuri looks like a small red hubbard squash.
Another one I grow is the Kabocha squash which is my favorite. They look like a small buttercup without the ridged blossom end. They taste like a cross between a pumpkin and a sweet potato. The flesh is quite sweet and has no strings which bake fast.
Spaghetti squash is used as an alternative to pasta. The fruit should be yellow (the more yellow the riper). The flesh is scraped into strings which looks like spaghetti. This squash does not store as well as other winter squash.
Sugar pumpkins (pie pumpkins) are small pumpkins grown for their sweet taste and made into pies.
Turban squash is the large “butternut looking’ squash. They are flashy orange squash striped with green and tan stripes. Most people think they can not eat these, however, you can. They have a sweet flavor especially if they go through a slight frost before harvesting.
Carnival squash is a cross between an acorn and a sweet dumpling squash. They have mottling colors of yellow, tan, and green. Look for the ones that have some green on them indicating they are not past their prime. Best as roasted squash.
Calabaza squash looks more like a melon than a squash with its light green skin and flesh. Like the spaghetti squash, it has a stringy interior looking like noodles. Long Island cheese pumpkin is one of the oldest known pumpkins grown in North America. The name comes from the flesh looking like orange cheese. A very sweet squash.
Most of these winter squash can be kept for up to six months in a cool, dry place.