Originally we were going to share tips on booking & prepping for Portrait Sessions (Family Portraits, Christmas Portraits, Engagement Sessions, and more), but we figured we should share this with you first since it’s very timely this November-! Last month all of October we went on a search for tons of different types of squash and pumpkins both to decorate with, then to eat and enjoy! (Thanks so much to Jenny’s friend Huyen)! We were able to find almost all of the squash that we’d wanted to try locally and organically at peoples’ small local backyard gardens where they were selling squash, pumpkins, other food, and other autumn goodies out on a table in their yard (with a payment bucket- super Pandemic friendly)! We were on the search for certain varieties that we’d heard were amazing, then also found others that we weren’t expecting- most whose names we didn’t know at all (and many we’re still trying to find the names of)-!
We believe deeply in the “Waste not, want not” mentality and were so excited to hear that many of these varieties were not only gorgeous and cheap for Autumn decorating (the outside and inside of our house), but also delicious! We figured we should share info on these in November while some of these are still around so that maybe you can roast some of these kinds in the oven and try them for yourselves-! We personally cut ours in halves, fourths, or in many more pieces depending on the size of the squash or pumpkin, coat it all in a bit of oil, then cook at 400 degrees in the oven until tender (a bit browned and carmalized) which takes around 45 minutes to an hour. Without further adieu, we’ll be sharing all of our squash and pumpkins with their names and a description of their flavor profiles! We’ve put these in order of our favorites to later those that we haven’t tried yet, but as we make it through the fall and try more of these, we’ll come back to this blog to update the taste/ flavor profiles of more of these-!!
***In all of the photo examples that Jenny photographed, she used the ever delicious Yellow Acorn Squash so you can gauge the size of each of these-! You are likely more familiar with the Green Acorn Squash that you see at the grocery store, but these are the same size!
****REMEMBER TO KEEP AND DRY ALL OF YOUR SEEDS SO YOU CAN SNACK ON THEM RAW OR ROAST THEM WITH OLIVE OIL & Salt/ Pepper!!! They are a very healthy snack and are DELICIOUS!!***
Delicata Squash
Delicatas have moved swiftly into our #1 position due to so many reasons! These are not always easy to find (depending on whether you live in the city or countryside- much easier to find from local growers or small rural grocery stores), but are WELL worth the search-! We found ours at a family’s yard farm at their house (and then later at a grocery store in a rural spot hours away). These squash have a VERY thin, delicate skin (hence the “delicata” name) and they and their skins are very sweet-! We love how easy it is to roast and eat these. They kind of blow acorn squash out of the water with their flavor in our opinion and we can’t wait to get more next Autumn!
Carnival Squash
Carnival Squash are also a new favorite of ours-! These babes are a hybrid mix between an Acorn Squash (the Yellow Acorn shown at the far right in Image 3 above) and a Sweet Dumpling squash (giving these pretty radical colors)! These babes are very sweet and their skin is also edible (but a bit thicker than the Delicata skin), BUT we’ve found that they taste the sweetest when you allow them to ripen to mostly orange stripes instead of green stripes. As with ALL winter squash and pumpkins, the longer you let them ripen without rotting, the sweeter they taste! This one has a taste of a mix between a pumpkin & sweet squash. You’ll notice that it sort of has a similar shape to an acorn squash mixed with the top of a Mini Pumpkin-! That helps us differentiate these from other small pumpkins that are striped. These have the BOTTOM ACORN SHAPE that mini pumpkins don’t have. Make sure you re-confirm with your farmer about the name of what you’re buying so you get to try this sweetie!
Butternut Squash
This may seem a bit of a boring choice, but it’s so tried & true! These are both Butternut squash that we bought from 2 different local farmers’ yards-! We’ve personally noticed that the ones we buy at the grocery store have pale, sad, not-as-flavorful pulp inside compared to the very vibrant, orange, and flavorful inside pulp inside the Butternuts that our local farmers grow! You can eat the skin on these and for 5 Autumns we’ve loved creating a vegan “Turducken” monstrosity dish with them (one of these stuffed with a large eggplant stuffed with a large zucchini stuffed with a leek- all layered together with their own extra pulp mushed together into an awesome stuffing that goes into each layer with the sweet herbed butter layered in)! We have been comparing our other squash with butternut and really… it is one of the sweetest O.G.s and we see why most grocery stores carry them year-round-!
Mashed Potato Squash
Are you noticing that most names tell something about each squash…? This squash when roasted becomes stringy (more like a spaghetti squash) and you can mush it up with butter, salt, and pepper to taste what seems like mashed potatoes-!! This one is a little sweet, so we wouldn’t recommend adding margarine (which is too sweet), rather butter to give it a savory lean to it making it taste like mashed potatoes-! It’s such a cool one. We only found this one at a tiny farm stand by the road up in Michigan, but maybe it’ll start heading to grocery store shelves. We’ve found that the skin is thin (edible, so that’s nice), so it does age quickly and you’d want to cook this one before it starts to get spots or gets soft. It’s a great go-to savory option if you want to have mashed potatoes, but in a squash form!
Golden Nugget Squash
We were looking for this one and FINALLY found it at Midwest grocery store (Meijer). We heard that it was someone’s favorite and were excited to try it, but after such deliciously sweet squash (all of the ones listed already), we were a bit disappointed that this one wasn’t as sweet. It has more of a savory flavor, but it’s hard to really say since we got a grocery store one. It was pretty mild, so we hope to someday get a locally grown one to compare.
Butterkin (Squash/ Pumpkin Hybrid)
We’ve been getting Butterkins at the grocery store (Meijer) for a few years now. These are a combination between a Butternut Squash and a pumpkin as you can see in its coloring and appearance in general. We do think it harkens a bit to sweet potatoes, so there is a bit of savory to it.
Buttercup Squash
We were encouraged by a woman with a roadside stand of veggies from her garden (and 200 to 1,000 pound pumpkins) to buy and try these Buttercup Squash. These squash are pretty savory with a TOTALLY different flavor to the other Winter Squash that we’ve tried so far. (These also have a very interesting shape to them and interesting bottom on them as you can see in the above images). These squash are orange inside and taste more like a savory vegetable such as a zucchini or something similar. Jenny had been trying many of the squash with cinnamon, but the buttercup since it is savory goes better with just some salt & pepper. It also definitely has a MUCH stringier texture than the other sweet Winter Squash that we’ve tried so far, so while it wasn’t our favorite, it definitely stood out as different than the very sweet squash above. It’d be a great one to try at the same time as a sweet squash just to see how it tastes compared to others-!
“Kindred Orange” Buttercup Squash…?
We aren’t sure about what this squash is to be honest. We were searching for the Golden Nugget Squash (shown much further above) and Jenny grabbed this thinking this may be it. It turns out it’s not, so we’re not sure if this is a Buttercup Squash or not, but its bottom DOES look like that of the Kindred Orange Buttercup. We’ll see when we try it if it ends up tasting like a Buttercup or potentially maybe instead like a Kuri/ Kobucha-! We’ll be updating this once we try it this fall! (Check back later!)
Pink Banana Squash
We’ve heard GREAT things about the Pink Banana Squash and were SO happy when we finally found it at a roadside stand in Michigan-! We later also found it at Varner’s Greenhouse in Niles, Michigan just across the border later in October, so that was exciting, but these bad boys are LARGE and we definitely don’t need another just yet-! We cannot wait to try this one. It’s apparently (according to Google) the “most versatile” squash out there- being able to be grown in Summer OR into the fall AND being able to be eaten raw or cooked in any way that Butternut squash are-! They’re apparently very sweet and for some farmers are their favorite-! These could feed an entire party’s worth of folks, so you get a lot of bang for your buck with these heavy bois. We’ll be updating this once we try it this fall! (Check back later!)
Red Kuri Kabocha Squash
We got one of these almost immediately upon Pumpkin decoration shopping in early October-! These Red Kuri (Kobocha)s look a bit like pomegranates with their odd shape-! We got one of these at a yard pumpkin stand near us run by a native american and then happened to pick up one elsewhere as well. Apparently it has a sweet “nutty” flavor like a chestnut and drier pulp, so we’re excited to try it soon! We’ll be updating this once we try it this fall! (Check back later!)
Peanut Pumpkin
The Peanut Pumpkin is named as it is because it looks like it’s covered in peanut shells, but those bumps are actually sugar accumulation on the skin of the pumpkins (as a farmer told us this fall)-! This fancy 220 year old heirloom pumpkin also goes by “Cucurbita maxima” or the fancy name “Galeux d'Eysine.” Apparently the skin is edible and very sweet as is the interior. You can roast it like we’ll be doing or use it in any recipe that calls for pumpkin (and you’ll get a bit sweater taste)! We’ll report back/ alter this writing a bit once we’ve tried ours. (Check back later!)
Warty Goblin Knucklehead Pumpkin
Again these are just pumpkins with more sugar build-up on their skin (which causes the warts). We haven’t yet tried this one either, but cooked it gives a mild, sweet pumpkin flavor. We look forward to trying these mostly locally bought pumpkins-! We’re hoping we find a favorite pumpkin among all of these that we’ve not yet tried-! We’ll be updating this once we try it this fall! (Check back later!)
Cinderella Pumpkin
These Cinderella pumpkins are pretty large, flat pumpkins with a reddish color to them. These are getting more common to find around and even our Walmart had these in their colorful pumpkin bins-! We’re not sure how these taste yet, but we’ve read that it’s moist, mild, and slightly sweet. Most large pumpkins CAN be used for pies, but the best to use for consumption to enjoy a very sweet pumpkin would be what is literally called a Pie Pumpkin which is a round pumpkin that looks like a Jack-o-Lantern pumpkin, but just a bit smaller. We’ll be updating this once we try it this fall! (Check back later!)
Fairytale Pumpkin
This Fairytale Pumpkin eventually turns a light orange ALL over and is visually Jenny’s FAVORITE pumpkin to look at/ have as decor. She found one in Santa Barbara, California 8 years ago for her house and has since searched EVERY year for this beautiful pumpkin. As you may have guessed, this pumpkin is named as such because it looks like the “Fairytale” pumpkin carriage that Cinderella rode in. Cooked they’re described as “smooth, creamy, and tender with a spicy scent and a mild, sweet flavor.” We’ll be updating this once we try it this fall! (Check back later!)
Blue Hubbard Squash
As you can see, this bugger is MASSIVE and VERY heavy! We were told that we definitely need to try this unique flavor, so we bought it for a mere $5 from a roadside garden stand-! We were told to cut it up with an axe (lol since it’s so big) and then roast it like we to with all the others. Apparently the flesh inside this is bright orange and the taste “… is dense and starchy and has the nutty, sweet taste of a sweet potato.” We’ll be updating this once we try it this fall! (Check back later!)
Sugar/ Pie Pumpkin
The pumpkin on the LEFT is a Pie Pumpkin-! We put a carving Jack-0-Lantern pumpkin on the right so that you could compare the standard sizes. Pie Pumpkins are MUCH sweeter than regular pumpkins and are much preferred for eating, making pies, and the like for their ultra sweet flavor-! We’ll likely be eating at least part of it cooked to see how it compares to others we’ve tried, so we’re excited to check out how sweet it is. We’ll be updating this once we try it this fall! (Check back later!)
Jarrahdale Pumpkin
Many of the blue pumpkins that you see out there are Jarrahdale Pumpkins. Apparently they have a golden flesh that is fine textured and sweet, but we’ve yet to try it. We’ll be updating this once we try it this fall! (Check back later!)
Long Island Cheese Pumpkin
We were actually told by a farmer in Michigan to try this one (him saying that it’s tasty), so we’re looking forward to seeing how this one ends up tasting! This one is named for where it’s grown and the fact that it apparently reminds some of a cheese wheel. It stores for a long time and is apparently smooth textured and great in pumpkin pies-! We’ll be updating this once we try it this fall! (Check back later!)
??
We grabbed this pumpkin up because it was an odd dark green and we’re surprised that it hasn’t riped to any orange or anything as most green pumpkins/ squash do. We’re not fully sure what this pumpkin is called, so we’re going to do more research and update this description obviously before we cook and taste it-! We’ll be updating this once we try it this fall! (Check back later!)
Porcelain Princess Pumpkin
These babes may not look it in this edited photo (JASONNNN), but they actually have a pink-ish tinge to them, hence the “princess” name. Apparently these are sweet, tender, and mild, so mainly we think they’re chosen for their decorative purposes and pink hue. Either way, only time will tell as we haven’t yet tried these-! We’ll be updating this once we try it this fall! (Check back later!)
Crown Prince Squash
Apparently the Crown Prince can store for a very long time- some of the longest of all of the squash and pumpkins-! These babes are apparently dense & smooth fleshed with a nutty, sweet flavor. Though they can store through winter, we foresee eating this one soon as “nutty” in the description“ is always exciting to us! We’ll be updating this once we try it this fall! (Check back later!)
Lady Godiva Squash/ Pumpkin…?
This pumpkin caught our eye this year at a pumpkin spot here in South Bend, Indiana-! A couple years ago Jenny’s main pumpkin was the new Yellow Pumpkin, so it was exciting to find a yellow-ish pumpkin with cool green & orange stripes. We’re not fully sure what this pumpkin is called, so we’re going to do more research and update this description obviously before we cook and taste it-! We’ll be updating this once we try it this fall! (Check back later!)
New England Cheddar…?
This was one of the first pumpkins we got this year and we got it because of its warts & pale orange/ nude color. We’re not fully sure what this pumpkin is called (though we assume it’s sweet from the sugar lumps that it has), so we’re going to do more research and update this description obviously before we cook and taste it-! We’ll be updating this once we try it this fall! (Check back later!)
Kakai Squash…?
These pumpkins started off nearly black with dark green stripes, but its stipes fully matured to become yellow and their sides are evolving to orange! We totally got this for Jenny’s gothic aesthetic (to add a bit of darkness to the colorful pumpkins outside), but we’re intrigued to find out what these are called and what they taste like. We’re not fully sure what this pumpkin is called, so we’re going to do more research and update this description obviously before we cook and taste it-! We’ll be updating this once we try it this fall! (Check back later!)
____ Squash…?!?
We’re thinking that this one is a squash, but again found this in a bin at Walmart with their $3.75 colorful pumpkins. It was too unique to pass up, so we’re eager to find out what it’s really called. We’re not fully sure what this squash is called, so we’re going to do more research and update this description obviously before we cook and taste it-! We’ll be updating this once we try it this fall! (Check back later!)
Speckled Hound Pumpkin…?
We thought that this was a Golden Nugget, then when we got a Golden Nugget thought that this may be instead be a Speckled Hound Pumpkin… but now that we’ve seen a Speckled Hound, we’re not so sure. We’re not fully sure what this pumpkin is called, so we’re going to do more research and update this description obviously before we cook and taste it-! We’ll be updating this once we try it this fall! (Check back later!)
Initially we’d found this at Walmart in their colorful pumpkin bin thinking that this was probably a Pink Banana Squash, but now we’re not sure which squash this is…. but are pretty positive that it’s a squash. We’re not fully sure what this is called, so we’re going to do more research and update this description obviously before we cook and taste it-! We’ll be updating this once we try it this fall! (Check back later!)
Turban Squash
Turban squash are usually HUGE like normal pumpkin size, so we were amazed to find this little decorative palm-sized ones at a farm roadside stand! These are apparently edible, but the farmer said most people just decorate with them because they don’t taste as amazing as other pumpkin and squash varieties. These are so cool looking, but due to this they’re often pretty costly no matter the size. They look painted and gorgeous on their underside, but like normal pumpkins on the top which is pretty cool looking- sort of like a muffin! We’ll be updating this once we try it this fall! (Check back later!)
Sparkler/ Baby Boo Mini Pumpkin
We always love these little dudes. As the white ones age, often they turn to this yellow hue (especially if damaged by a frost outside). Try to eat these when they’re still white-! These are actually edible, so you can cut them horizontally, then cook quickly in the oven. You can even use the little pumpkin as a tasty bowl for some butternut squash soup or anything else (wherein you can eat the bowl at the end)!
Pumpkin We Be Little
These are insanely cute. They actually grow to this tiny palm-size, yet look like full grown round Jack-o-Lantern pumpkins-!! How cute! These are edible like pumpkins, but we just like to stare at them. We’ve only found these ONE place and that’s just across the border in Michigan in a woman’s pumpkin stand. These are actually edible, so you can cut them horizontally, then cook quickly in the oven. You can even use the little pumpkin as a tasty bowl for some butternut squash soup or anything else (wherein you can eat the bowl at the end)!
Jack Be Little Pumpkin
We had to add an orange mini pumpkin in here! Jenny has loved these her entire life. The name “Jack be Little” is absolutely adorable too. These are actually edible, so you can cut them horizontally, then cook quickly in the oven. You can even use the little pumpkin as a tasty bowl for some butternut squash soup or anything else (wherein you can eat the bowl at the end)!
Big Apple Gourd
This ground was named as such because apparently it looks like a large apple to many-! Gourds are actually not foods for humans, so folks often dry these, drain them, then make them into birdhouses with the exterior of the gourd dried! You may know other popular gourds used as instruments or other fun things (purses and such), but as for eating, gourds aren’t eaten by people, but are used instead for their decorative qualities-!
((Our November Thanksgiving Porch-!!))
Last Monday the day before the election we spent time outside transitioning the entire house from Halloween decor to Thanksgiving decor for November-! We’ve accumulated fun vintage decor over the years at cheap estate sales, so we’re pretty proud of our fun decor and love cheering up neighbors/ passersby during the Pandemic! We hope that you enjoy all of this as much as we do-!
We hope you all enjoyed this little squash/ pumpkin journey with us! We’ll be updating this blog (this exact page) as we go along, so make sure to check back if you are interested in seeing how more of them taste/ want to try some along with us-!
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Unrelated: We’ll be photographing some Portrait Sessions for some families at the end of this week in a few days, but until then have been editing client photos, printing photos for our couples, and will be location scouting on Friday for our clients. We’ll be working on photographing our clients, then editing photos for our couples most days through next Saturday November 21st, then will be focused for the rest of 2020 (the final month at least) on printing our couples’ final photos from their packages and designing/ printing a couple final 2020 physical Wedding Albums. We’re excited to create these gorgeous lifelong physical mementos for at least 9 more of our couples before finishing out our year-! We hope that you’re having an ok Autumn (given the 3rd Wave of Covid-19 & political craziness) and hope that you’ve found good things to fill your time at home. Until next week….