does anybody here eat squash raw? or can you "bake"it at a very low temperature to soften the meat?

I have not eaten it yet, but my Raw Foods CookBook has recipes for it shredded or cubed in salad.

Yellow squash isn't available where I live, but courgette (zucchini) is and they are similar. I like slice one into rounds and top each slice with a sauce, like a blend of tomato and sun-dried tomatoes with seasonings, but a vege pate' would be good too. It's like having hors d'ouvres (however the heck that is spelled)! I also like to cut a zucchini into long, thin matchstick size pieces to serve as "pasta noodles". I have read about a gadget called a spiralizer, that makes squash into long, curly noodle shapes, but I'd rather spend money on other things.

Yes.

I sometimes have butternut squash, spiralised to make 'spaghetti'. It has a wonderful flavour, is edible/digestible that way, and doesn't take long to do IF you have a decent spiraliser.

I also make a delicious Autumnal juice by combining it with apple.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/09/2009 03:50AM by debbietook.

I agree with the above. I've eaten several squashes (butternut, acorn, spaghetti....and some other darn things I can't remember). Spiralizing them into noodles is a great idea...as is small-chunking them into your salad. If they digest ok for you, then no problemo.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

hey davey

do u grow your own squash as well?

any cool new pics?

hows your garden coming along?

I eat it raw,and juiced.
Yellow squash when juiced adds a malted flavor to your juices.

Vinny

Heh..heh...No LaV..haven't been growing much. But when I do...I post em!

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Butternut squash is one of the easiest things to grow (at least in the UK). I know that, because...I have a sad tale to tell.

In the spring I bought one butternut squash seedling from the garden centre.

By September it had gone crazy - taken over half the veg patch - and several squashes ripening beautifully!

In fact, it was so prolific that I'd FORGOTTEN I'd only planted ONE tiny plant, and had assumed I'd bought several...

I was so proud of my squashes.

But I also had a few melons in there, that hadn't done much, and one day decided to 'tidy up', pull the melons up, snip off a few dead leaves etc. Which I did.

The next day my entire squash crop was...dead. I realised that I'd inadvertently pulled up the ONE plant that the whole crop had grown from and had snipped it from the many runners it had put out.

I still feel terrible about this - all that growth, all that energy! All aborted through carelessness.

I'll be planting butternut squash again next year, but will be more careful!

Here's an interesting squash I've read about, the Ukrainian Winter Squash:

A pumpkin-like squash that is large and round, easily growing to a size of 15 to 25 pounds at maturity. With a flat-ribbed outer skin that turns orange or bluish-green when ripe, this squash has bright orange meat that is smooth and densely textured. Inside the squash there are numerous large seeds that can be roasted and eaten for a snack. An uncommon variety, the Ukrainian winter squash could be considered to be a sweet meat squash as one that can be eaten raw or shredded raw to be made into slaw salads. When cooked, it has a sweet nutty flavor that goes well with a variety of main dishes.

[www.recipetips.com]

When I was at Optimum Health Institute in San Diego they served a very delicious winter squash named Tahini, I believe.

Edit: A search of this site: Tom Billings - "Webmasters Note: Re: Tahitian Melon Squash is an excellent squash to eat raw, to me it tastes sweet like cantaloupe. Although this squash is quite rare and hard to find. I purchased mine at a local farmers market."

Edit2:
#4130 Triamble Squash: 110-120 days
AKA Shamrock or Triangle, this Australian beauty is shamrock-shaped with deep lobes and a very hard, shiny bluish-green skin. Weighing in up to 10 pounds, flavorful Triamble’s deep orange flesh is thick, succulent and sweet with little or no seed cavity. Normally difficult seed to find, versatile Triamble is perfect for all of your special winter squash recipes, and may even be eaten raw! Lucky for all of us, it stores extremely well and may be savored all winter long. (OP.)

Packet of 20 Seeds / $3.55

[www.kitchengardenseeds.com]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/10/2009 06:52PM by brome.

Squash : Winter : Jaspee de Vendee
Vegetable.

Semi-trailing. T&M believe Squash Jaspee de Vendee is the sweetest winter squash/pumpkin variety available. The flesh is so delicately sweet it can be eaten raw like a melon. The semi-trailing plants of Squash Jaspee de Vendee each produce several fruits up to 2kgs (4.4lb) in weight from late summer till frosts. Fruits store very well.
Description Price
1 packet (6 seeds) £2.29

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Squash : Winter : Sunshine F1
Vegetable.

All America Selection Winner.

Trailing. Squash Sunshine is an aptly named 'Kabocha' type Squash with unique and attractive bright reddishorange skin with thick, bright orange flesh. Squash Sunshine produces fruits about 1.5kg (3lb) in weight, have a sweet, nutty taste when eaten raw, baked or steamed.
Description Price
1 packet (7 seeds) £2.49

[www.tandmworldwide.com]

[74.125.155.132]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/10/2009 07:12PM by brome.

SQ71-10 - Tahitian Butternut Squash
110 days. Cucurbita pepo. Plant
produces good yields of large
butternut type squash with long
neck. The squash has golden -
orange flesh that gets sweeter
during storage. It is delicious raw
or baked. Excellent for home
gardens and market growers. A
winter squash variety. pk/10

[www.reimerseeds.com]

Banana Squash - [C. maxima]
Banana Squash Growing to about 30 pounds this is one of the largest squash so it's generally sold cut into pieces. The photo specimen was probably over 18 inches long and probably weighed around 16 pounds. As the name suggests it's a long narrow squash but is more likely pink, gray or even dark gray rather than yellow. The flesh of this squash is pleasant, sweet and actually quite tasty raw so don't overcook it.

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Long before Columbus "discovered" the New World, native peoples were growing and eating corn, beans and squash. The word squash comes from a Native American word meaning "food eaten raw."

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Melonette de Jaspée C. pepo New for 2009
(Melonette Jaspée de Vendée)

French variety with golden, melon-like fruits and an amazingly tender flesh and sweet flavor. Can be eaten raw like a melon. Can be used cooked (soups, baking, etc.) or raw (chopped, grated, etc.). Semi creeping, compact plants. Good conservation. About 95 days.
Sorry, limited stock (only 5 seeds per packet).
Packet of 5 seeds: $2,99

[solanaseeds.netfirms.com]

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Sweet Dumpling: a round, white squash with green marking. Its orange flesh is thin, firm, sweet and nutty-tasting. It can be eaten raw, grated with vinaigrette, cooked and puréed, or used to make soups, cakes, pies and even jams!

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Squash seeds : Winter : Jaspee de Vendee
Vegetable

* Ideal for: Children

Description

T&M believe this is the sweetest winter squash/pumpkin variety available. The flesh is so delicately sweet it can be eaten raw like a melon. Bush habit plants each produce several fruits up to 2kgs (4.4lb) in weight from late summer till frosts. Fruits store very well, Excellent also in flans, cakes, jams, soups and purees.
Sowing Instructions
Sowing time: April to May.

Germinate in 7.5cm (3in) pots at 20-30C (68-86F) on the surface of a good free draining, damp seed compost. Apply a layer of compost or vermiculite, 1cm (½in.) deep. Place in a propagator or seal container in a polythene bag until after germination which takes 5-10 days.

Can also be sown direct outdoors once the soil has warmed. Sow 2 seeds every 60cm (24in) and thin out to the best seedling.
Growing Instructions

Gradually acclimatise to outdoor conditions for 10-15 days before planting out after all risk of frost, 75cm (30in) apart.
Aftercare Instructions

Prefers well drained, moist, rich soil in full sun. Also grows well in cooler climates.

[www.tmseeds.com]