P U M P K I N S

When you think of pumpkins, you probably picture your plain ol' orange gourd from the supermarket ready for carving, but pumpkins come in so many shapes and sizes! Here's three of our favourites:

Sugar Pie

The quintessential baking pumpkin, sugar pies are quite small with sweet firm flesh that is less stringy than carving pumpkins. To make purée, first wash the pumpkins then cut into halves or quarters. Scoop out the insides then roast until fork tender. Remove the skin and purée.

Knucklehead

This wart-covered pumpkin is spooky enough as is, but you can also carve through its scabs and bumps for a hauntingly unique jack-o-lantern. Although you probably wouldn’t buy them just for eating, knucklehead pumpkins have a nice sweet flavour when cooked that works well in both sweet and savoury dishes.

Fairytale

Fairytale pumpkins are both decorative and delicious. This French heirloom variety has a squat, flattened shape and light brown colour worthy of the best fall displays. But slice a wedge off and you’ll also be treated to thick, mild-flavoured flesh that stands up to sautéing, boiling or roasting.

S Q U A S H

Butternut

This pear-shaped squash has a smooth cream-colored outside and bright-orange flesh. Being much sweeter than other winter squashes, many compare its taste to that of butterscotch! Once roasted, you can enjoy butternut squash on it's own or blended into a creamy, delicious soup. 

Acorn

Acorn squash, like it's namesake, has an acorn-like shape with a ridged exterior. Usually dark green with a touch of orange in colour, this winter squash has a sweet and slightly nutty flavour that tastes delicious when roasted with a little salt and pepper. 

Kabocha

This Japanese squash is generally lesser known, but just as tasty, Kabocha squash has a hard, green and slightly bumpy exterior, often with light green or white stripes. It's flesh is a dark yellow-orange hue. Similar to sweet potato in texture and flavour, this squash is fantastic roasted on its own, pureed into soup or even grated into desserts like muffins and cakes!