The Winter Squash Eating Experience: Differences Between 7 Types

By Pete Zuck, former Product Manager, with updates by Nate Gorlin-Crenshaw, current Product Manager for Winter Squash

To help differentiate the eating experience that each type of winter squash provides, we've compiled an overview of the main types Johnny's offers. We've highlighted some personal favorites from the Research Team as well, hoping to inspire you to try something new. Scroll down for a look at our "menu"!

• What do we mean by eating quality? In a nutshell, three main factors that affect eating quality are: sugar content, dry matter, and aromatics, which affect the sweetness, texture, and flavor of the squash accordingly. Learn more about the variables that contribute to culinary excellence in our article Understanding Flavor & Yield in Winter Squash.
• How to cure and how long to store for peak flavor: Different kinds of winter squash vary as to how long they take to cure after harvesting, and how long before they achieve peak eating quality. Use our Winter Squash Storage Chart to understand the optimal curing and storage periods for the various types. This should help you plan ahead, and enable you and your customers to enjoy each type at the pinnacle of its eating quality.

1 • Acorn

Compared to industry-standard green acorns, 'Starry Night' has superior flavor and storage potential, storing well through the holidays.

Acorns are great for experiencing the first taste of roasted winter squash as the first chill of fall creeps in. Unlike most butternuts, buttercups, and kabochas, they do not store well, and their peak eating quality is reached within 6–8 weeks of harvest. The exceptions are 'Starry Night,' and 'Night Shift,' Johnny's-bred organic acorns that are exceptional in many ways, including their ability to retain excellent eating quality right through the New Year. Split them down the middle, fill each half with a dollop of butter and a spoonful of maple syrup, roast and enjoy while you ponder the coming of another winter. Simple.

• View all acorn squash varieties

2 • Buttercup

Buttercups pair nicely with other flavors and textures, such as apples, grains, nuts, and cheeses.

For those outside of New England and parts of the midwest, the buttercup squash may be less familiar. At a basic level, it is a lot like a kabocha with a belly button—but generally a little larger, a little moister, and not as nuanced in terms of flavor. These qualities allow buttercups to pair nicely with other flavors and textures, such as apples, grains, nuts, and cheeses. Johnny's 'Bonbon' is one of the best out there, with exceptional sweetness and a great flakey texture.

• View all buttercup squash varieties

3 • Butternut

'Butterscotch PMR', is the most flavorful butternut squash of all.

Butternuts are the ideal "ingredient" squash. While they are perfectly fine roasted on their own with a little butter and salt, their smooth, moist texture and uncomplicated sweetness make them the perfect base for pies, soups, curries—you name it, butternuts can adapt to the recipe.

For those looking for a big, beautiful butternut, “Block Party’s” shape offers advantages in the kitchen: its thick neck means less waste when preparing or processing and it has a good flesh to seed cavity ratio- all with our usual commitment to sweet, flavorful squash. For those looking for something with a more managable size, Johnny's has bred two mid-size workhorse butternuts with high sugars: 'Metro PMR' and 'JWS 6823 PMR'. They also feature good powdery mildew resistance (PMR) and short vines that professional growers will appreciate. Our 2014 AAS-Winner, 'Butterscotch PMR', is the most flavorful of all. This small-butternut features the same PMR, and an even shorter vine than 'Metro' or 'JWS 6823.' So now we have all the bases covered, no matter what your butternut needs may be. Long storage is another benefit of butternuts, although storage potential still varies by variety.

• View all butternut varieties

4 • Delicata/Dumpling

Delicatas are generally sweeter than acorn squash and have a very thin, skin that is edible when cooked

These are the most delectable of the pepo squashes, often much sweeter than their close cousins, the green acorns. Delicatas in particular are wonderful to eat because they have very thin, edible skin when cooked; you don't have to bother with peeling them. Dumpling squash have similarly sweet flavor in a slightly smaller package. 'Honey Bun' is a JSS-bred dumpling squash that offers a dramatic improvement over 'Sweet Dumpling' in terms of yield, storability, and flavor. The fruits turn caramel-bronze at peak ripeness, acting as an excellent harvest indicator.

• View all delicata/dumpling varieties