Autumn & Winter Squash

Our Varieties

	Sweet Dumpling is a very attractive, small squash with pale skin and distinct dark green stripes. The fruits can be boiled whole or baked and are ideal for stuffing.
	Amoro is a heart-shaped Uchiki Kuri type with orange skin and sweet mild flavoured flesh.
	Leckor is a recently developed, silver-grey squash with orange flesh of an excellent texture and flavour.
	Black Futsu is a heavily ribbed small pumpkin which is very dark green but if left to mature fully it turns grey and eventually orange. The flavour is particularly good and it stores well.

Roasting squash is a great way to preserve its flavour and can lead to a wide range of dishes. Plonking a whole roasted squash on the table and carving with all the grandeur of a festive turkey is a great celebration of the autumn season. Or scoop out the flesh and blend until smooth adding some salt, extra virgin rapeseed or olive oil and some pecorino or parmesan if you have it, finishing with a squeeze of lemon - this makes a great dip or base to a roast meat dish or even a filling for pasta.

Each squash can be roasted either whole, half or in thick slices. To roast a whole squash, simply cover the flesh with a thin layer of oil and roast on a baking tray lined with parchment paper at 180c until a knife or cake tester can be pushed through the flesh without resistance. If you have a smoker barbecue you can use the same approach for an extra smokey flavour.

To roast in slices, cut the squash in half (carefully as the skin can be quite hard), remove the seeds with a spoon and slice each half into 1” thick wedges, skin left on. Lay the wedges on a roasting tray, drizzle with oil, season with salt and scatter any hard herbs that you have to hand. Roast at 180c until tender. Alternatively you can grill these wedges on the bbq if you get a nice sunny autumn day.