Squash is a central food in my menu planning from about September through March every year. If you were to go through my menus from the past few years, you would notice a proliferation of butternut, acorn, delicata and spaghetti squashes which I then try to come up with unique uses for. It’s one of the advantages and frustrations of being a CSA member – local, organic vegetables are always in my house, but for much of the year, so many of those vegetables are squash.
Don’t get me wrong – I really like squash and I actually do think squash is a really flexible ingredient. But I sometimes find myself getting a bit tired of it.
I was delighted a few weeks ago when I arrived at my CSA pick up to discover that Mighty Food Farm is growing a new variety of squash this fall. Honeynut Squash is a hybrid squash, created in collaboration with Cornell University and Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns. It’s even discussed in the last few minutes of the Dan Barber episode (Season 1 Episode 2) of Chef’s Table on Netflix. More information about the collaboration and development process can be found on the Stone Barns Center-affiliated website, Virtual Grange.
Honeynut Squash are smaller than a butternut squash, but the flavor is deeper and richer. I used mine in the same ways that I often use butternut – roasted with brussels sprouts, pureed in soup and used in a galette. The Honeynut Squash worked great in all of those applications and I’m looking forward to trying it for more recipes.
I’ve only seen Honeynut squash at my CSA pick ups, but I imagine it will be appearing at more farmers markets in the future. Have you tried it? Share your thoughts in the comments!
I saw these at our Farmer’s Market last week! I really liked they they were smaller than typical butternut squash that I see, but good to know they can be used in the same ways. Maybe next week I’ll pick some up!