Guide Note

Squash is a fruit with a thick, hard meat and plentiful seeds. Varieties of squash are available year-round, as most species are divided into summer and winter varieties.

Fast Facts

1. Often used as a vegetable, though a fruit in the botanical sense
2. Source of Vitamin C, Manganese, and Potassium
3. Related to pumpkins and zucchini

Summer squash are harvested while winter squash are still growing. These fruits ripen quickly, can be consumed raw, and should be eaten quickly to avoid spoiling. Zucchini and yellow squash are the most popular varieties.

Winter squash will stay fresh for a longer period of time and are thus cultivated more thoroughly over a longer period of time. Butternut squash and pumpkin are two of the most prominent winter squash.

All squash are good sources of vital vitamins and nutrients, though winter squash have significantly higher values of vitamins A and C. Winter squash also provide a healthy portion of fiber and omega 3 fatty acids. Though a similar serving of summer squash does not contain quite as many beneficial minerals, they have about half the calories of winter squash.