Kabocha squash are popular in Japan. In Japan though, ‘kabocha’ is used to refer to this squash, pumpkin, and other winter squashes. They’re extremely sweet with a nice firm texture. We have used them in place of pumpkin for pumpkin pies before to great success.
Winter squash are members of the squash family (cucumber, melon, zucchini, pumpkin, etc.). They have a tough dry skin, and are more starchy than summer squash or melon making them great a storage crop. They were domesticated in the Americas ~5000 BCE and can be used in a number of sweet or savory applications: custards, pies, soups, stews, or simply roasted as a side.
With the addition of half shares this year, we’ve run into an interesting problem with the winter squashes; there’s only one per full share. Because of this we opted to cut the squash into wedges that are ready for you to roast (just oil and salt). While you won’t be able to use them as centerpieces, we hope that the convenience of having them ready to cook makes up for it. Let us know what you think!
