Butternut squash
Butternut squash is one of the most popular modern varieties of winter squash. They’re known for their long neck and bowling pin shape.
Their smooth skin is pinkish-tan, thick and hard when mature. The skin is edible when cooked, though most often it is peeled and discarded prior to eating.
The long neck of the butternut contains a solid orange flesh that makes for easy peeling and slicing. The bulbous end contains a seed cavity surrounded by a thick flesh.
When cooked the flesh of the butternut squash is tender with a sweet, nutty and mild squash flavor.
Many people consider it the best-tasting and most versatile of all squashes. It can be grown and used at any time during the growing season when fully mature, but it’s considered a winter squash because of its thick skin and long storage capacity.
One of the most common ways to prepare butternut squash is using it in a rich, creamy soup. It can also be roasted. To do this, the squash is cut in half lengthwise, lightly brushed with cooking oil or put in a thin layer of water and placed cut side down on a baking sheet. It is then baked for 45 minutes or until soft.
Butternut provides vitamins A, C, and E, manganese, potassium, soluble fiber and magnesium. Deep orange colored squashes such as Butternut are also known to be rich in beta carotene.
Butternut as we know it today is a relatively recent addition to the squash family.
Initially straight neck winter squashes were not a preferred variety -- lengthy, curvy winter crooknecks such as the Canada crookneck were the squash of choice. But as the commercial marketplace changed and shipping and distribution of squash in bulk became more commonplace, the demand for winter squash that was stackable and compact grew and inspired the development of modern butternut varieties.
One of the earliest known dependable butternut types on the market is believed to have been created by amateur breeder Charles A. Leggett around 1940 in Massachusetts. After much experimentation in the garden, Leggett brought his squash to the Waltham Agricultural Experiment field station where breeders refined it.
Credit for the creation of the early butternut type also is given to Professor Robert E. Young of the Massachusetts College of Agriculture who worked with the original squash from Leggett to create what would come to be known as the Waltham Butternut squash.
The name of the original butternut is believed to have come from Leggett, who described its flavor as “smooth as butter and sweet as a nut.”
In the past few years new cultivars have been developed, including the small, super-sweet “honeynut,” and a dwarf butternut – a diminutive version of its big brother
Butternut is a close relative of pumpkin and can be used interchangeably with its cousin. In fact, some supermarket canned pumpkin is actually butternut.
