About Acorn Squash
Considered a winter squash, acorn squash (Cucurbita pepo) is actually in the same family as summer squash like zucchini. While acorn squash is used as a vegetable, it is botanically classified as a fruit. This edible vining gourd may be found in some areas of the world year round, but in North America acorn squash is available from early fall to winter. Unlike other summer squash, acorn squash stores well in a cool, dry, and dark area for a month or even longer. As the squash is stored, it will continue to ripen with the deep green skin becoming progressively orange.
Orange Acorn Squash Varieties
As mentioned, most acorn squash has an orange hued interior with a green rind. Of the orange acorn squash, Bush Table Queen is a typical dark green, acorn shaped gourd with deep ridging and bright orange flesh. With a harvest date of 80 days, it does well in container gardens.
Heirloom Table Queen is a vining variety with gold, nutty flesh ready to harvest in 85 days. Early acorn hybrid yields compact plants suited for container growing and ready in just 75 days. Table Ace is also ready to harvest in 75 days and is a good all around choice. Ebony, as the name suggests, features deep green almost black skin with light orange flesh that is ready to harvest in 80 days. On the smaller side is Cream of the Crop, which has buttery sweet and nutty flesh ready for harvest in 80 days.
Different Varieties of Acorn Squash
Festival Hybrid produces cream colored squash with unique yellow striped skin and green circles at the blossom end. A much smaller squash weighing in at only a pound or two (0.5-0.9 kg.), this variety of acorn squash is ready in 100 days on compact plants. Even lighter is the White acorn, which has a shell that is indeed white with an interior of the palest yellow to cream. Unlike common green acorn squash varieties, White acorn squash was developed by Glenn Drowns in the 1980s and is most likely found at farmer’s markets or, of course, you can grow your own.
