For the Love of Winter Squash
Fall is one of my favorite times of year. I love the colors and the cooling down of the earth around me. I love the foggy mornings and the late day sunshine that seems to electrify the yellows, oranges and reds of the season.
It is also my birthday “season”. It has crossed my mind that I may be biased towards the fall because of this. I mean it is the season of gifts, parties, and birthday cake; as well as pumpkins, turkeys and pies.
It’s just an all-around fun harvest festival season that I look forward to every year. I honestly think I would love it birthday season or no birthday season.
In keeping with the fall theme, I want to talk about winter squash as this is also one of my favorite things to eat and to cook with throughout the season. You may think of pie or some sugary side dish made with squash but the truly amazing thing about these veggies is what a punch of nutrients they pack.
Nutrient Powerhouses
Winter squashes are excellent sources of Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, B and K. They contain beneficial amounts of Zinc, Copper, Potassium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, and Fiber. They are chock full of antioxidants called carotenoids, which have proven properties that help fight cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
The nutrients in our winter squashes like pumpkin, hubbard, acorn, and butternut are beneficial to our eyesight, skin health and immune system!
Let’s talk a minute about the high amount of fiber found in our squashes. I am sure you have heard that fiber is an important ingredient in our daily diets, but do you know why you hear so much about it?
Supporting our Microbiome
We have these tiny organisms that live in our digestive system called microbiota or microflora. They number in the trillions and as a group are called the microbiome. These little bacteria keep our entire digestive system running. When they are out of balance, we are out of balance.
Winter squash is an excellent food source for what is called a prebiotic. Prebiotics are generally foods that feed our gut bacteria and keep them happy and in balance. Prebiotics are beneficial foods high in fiber like squash, that our gut bacteria like to feed on. The more beneficial foods we eat, the stronger our good bacteria can grow.
Fermented foods also fall into this category, sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha are a few examples. These foods help keep our digestive system healthy and strong; which in turn means our immune system is strong and able to do its job.
Prebiotics are not to be confused with probiotics, which I am sure you all have heard of. Probiotics are actually the bacteria itself that most of us have seen or taken in supplement form. A healthy gut and healthy gut microbiome allow us to absorb all the vitamins and minerals that are available in the foods we eat. When we feed ourselves, we are also feeding the trillions of bacteria that live within us. The more healthful the foods we feed ourselves the more beneficial bacteria we have helping us out.
I know you may not be thinking or even want to think about all the little critters that live within us and on us. Our skin is a living organ that has and needs good bacteria to keep us looking healthy, smooth and pretty. So, when you make the amazing soup recipe that I’m sharing, remember you are feeding not only yourself but your body’s best buddy—the microbiome—as well. Your body will thank you for it by supporting your gut, your immune system and your brain health!
So with all that being said, let’s talk squash.
Getting Your Squash
There are so many varieties of winter squash. My suggestion is to go out to your farmer’s markets and out to the farms celebrating the harvest season and buy a few varieties that are unfamiliar to you. Have some fun cooking them by roasting with a little olive oil and salt and pepper, try steaming some and mashing it up with some fresh butter, put it in your favorite veggie soup, or put some in a taco with your favorite taco seasonings and toppings.
Most winter squashes have a tough skin that you can peel, some squash like delicata have a thin enough skin that you can roast the entire thing and eat all of it —this is a great one for tacos.
When you split open your squash remove the seeds and the pulp with a spoon. Both the seeds and the pulp are edible. You could save the pulp for soups or chop it up and throw it in a stir fry. You can roast the seeds and add them to salads or chop them up and add them to soup and roasted veggies as a final garnish. The seeds also make a great easy snack. They contain highly beneficial fats that will support heart health and brain health.
Learning to use as much of the foods that I purchase is one way I have found to not only stretch my food dollars but practice being a better steward of the planet I inhabit.
The soup recipe I am sharing is based on a basic Italian pumpkin soup recipe that I found in an old Italian cookbook I purchased years ago. I added a few more herbs and spices to punch it up a bit. I also added some alternative ingredients for my vegan and lactose intolerant friends.
I also have a sweet dessert recipe for you… because life is a balance. Remember to eat your sweets in moderation and chow down on the good stuff.
Cutting winter squash 101 demo will be up in a couple weeks.
Check it out on my new YouTube Channel: The Joyful Journey with Rosie.
