Can winter squash - butternut, acorn, spaghetti, etc - be eaten raw?

Thank you.

Patty

Yes. I like to make a "risotto" with a nut cream sauce -- yum!!!

Thanks Sundancer. Any recipe you care to share?

Sure:
The day before, I soak 1/4 cup raw almonds in the morning; that evening, I rinse them and stick them in the fridge.
Next day (1/2 hour or so before you want to eat), take a small winter squash, peel it and cut it into 1" cubes. Process it in the food processor until it is in rice size pieces. Set it aside.
Make a sauce: Take the almonds and puree them with a few T. warm water )I use a Magic Bullet) until smooth and creamy. (Sometimes I'll peel the almonds so the sauce is more creamy.) Chop a clove of garlic, a couple of mushrooms, a half stalk of celery, a little spice (whatever sounds good and works for you), along with salt and pepper to taste and throw that in with the nut cream; process until creamy. Pour the sauce over the squash. Add some chopped scallions, toss and chow! Sometimes I'll toss a little miso in to make the sauce extra savory and flavorful.

I have used winter squash - spaghetti squash - to make a nice raw cracker. I am fairly new to raw, and I am still enjoying spices. Not everyone does, so feel free to modify the recipe. I don't usually use recipes, but instead use what I have and adjust flavors.

Into the Vitamix:
Sprouted buckwheat
peeled, chunked winter squash
high quality salt, to taste (start with 1 t. or less - more can always be added)
the spices you like, I use garam masala, about 1 T.
water or coconut water, up to about the 2 c. mark
1 onion, peeled and quartered, or something oniony, if you like onion flavor
some dehydrated celery, or fresh, again to taste, if you like the flavor - I add about 2 handfulls or 3/4 c.

Blend this smooth. Check the flavor. Does it need anything to balance the taste, like acid, sweet, salt? If so, fix it, and keep in mind that all of the tastes will concentrate. If you have something that tastes like a bland squash soup, you are on the right track.

Pour your puree into a large mixing container. Stir in:

Chopped fresh herbs, like parsley or other garden greens, I like a couple of handfuls, but this is, again, your preference to taste/appearance
soaked and rinsed seeds, like sesame, pumpkin, whatever you like
golden flax, as much as you want

Spread on paraflex sheet on a dehydrator tray to 1/3" thick and dehydrate overnight at the temperature you use for crackers. Some folks who are doing Gabriel Cousen's Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine start out hot, at 145, then they turn it down to 115 after an hour to shorten the dehydration time and avoid microbial growth. I usually stick with temperatures under 118, but that is a personal preference.

Happy squashing!