Delicata squash
Delicata squash is a variety winter squash with cream-coloured cylindrical fruits striped in green or orange that are cooked. As its name suggests, it has characteristically a delicate rind (or skin). It is also known as peanut squash, Bohemian squash, or sweet potato squash. Although consumed mature as a winter squash, delicata squash belongs to the same species as most types of summer squash known in the U.S., Cucurbita pepo. This species includes pattypan squash, zucchini, and yellow crookneck squash, as well as the Jack-o'-lantern pumpkins used on Halloween.
Cultural Info
Delicata squash are easily grown. Seeds are started after all danger of frost is past and the soil is warm or within 3–4 weeks before the predicted last frost date in the area. Seeds directly sown are placed one inch deep, 5-6 to a hill; hills are 6 feet in all direction from other hills. Roughly 105 days after germinating, delicata squash are ready to be harvested. Curing takes approximately a week in a warm dry place such as a garage, protected from frost. Delicata squash is most commonly baked, but can also be microwaved, sautéed or steamed. It may be stuffed with meat or vegetable mixtures and is known for its ease of cooking and creamy flavor and texture. The seeds of the squash are also eaten, usually after being toasted. This squash is not as rich in beta-carotene as other winter squashes, but is a good source of dietary fiber and potassium, as well as smaller amounts of vitamins C and B, magnesium, and manganese.
Geography
Indigenous to North and Central America, squash were introduced to early European settlers by Native Americans. "'Delicata' was first introduced by a seedsman in the USA in 1894 (Tapley et al. 1937), but a fruit very much like those of this cultivar was illustrated by Naudin (1856)." (Paris 1989). As a cultivar, is "more or less unique and is not readily classifiable in any one modern group" (Paris 1989). The standard delicata is vinous; however, bush varieties have arisen including 'Bush Delicata', and seed sellers offer varieties with more sweetness as 'Sugar Loaf' and 'Honey Boat'. Delicata squash almost disappeared after the Great Depression, and wasn't widely grown due to its susceptibility to mildew diseases. This was changed in the early 2000s, when a group at Cornell University's Department of Plant Breeding, led by Molly Jahn, bred a non-hybrid open pollinated variety, Cornell's Bush Delicata that was resistant to most known squash diseases, and won the 2002 All-America Selection (AAS), a seed-industry award and is now the primary commercial cultivar.