10 Ways to Use Gourds & Winter Squash

I think it’s a shame that pumpkins get hijacked by Halloween. Although they make a brief comeback for Thanksgiving in pie form, their curtain call comes much too early in the season. So what’s a pumpkin-loving girl supposed to do? This one makes a quick shift to other members of the Cucurbitaceae family: gourds and various winter squash. They don’t put me in a dizzy swoon quite the same way pumpkins do, but they’ll suffice. Gourds are great for cool-weather crafts, and winter squash will supply the awesome fodder for delicious dishes all the way until strawberry time (known by some as “spring”).

Gourds and squash are actually fruits by botanical definition–but because they are treated more like a vegetable than a dessert, they are typically considered vegetables. Most commonly, gourds are the product of the species Lagenaria siceraria (the calabash or African bottle gourd), native to Africa. This species is thought by many to be the oldest plant domesticated by humans.

Some gourds are put to culinary application, but most are used in the form of a vessel; think bowls, bottles, yerba mate cups, musical instruments, and birdhouses. Winter squash is used more for food than decoration. Following are ideas for ways to use both.

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Donna H.

9:09PM PST on Jan 14, 2012

Great ideas, thanks for posting.

send a green star

Claire R.

9:02PM PST on Jan 14, 2012

It's a great idea ! Thanks.

monique r.

11:25AM PST on Dec 11, 2011

Would never have thought of using squash for skin care!

Fadia C.

7:07AM PST on Dec 11, 2011

thanks

Ron C.

5:14PM PST on Dec 7, 2011

Thank you

Jeni G.

11:02AM PST on Dec 6, 2011

Great ideas, thanks!

Sarah M.

5:57PM PST on Nov 29, 2011

Tekla D.

5:39AM PST on Nov 28, 2011

thanks for sharing

Holly L.

9:08PM PST on Nov 27, 2011

Wonderful..thank you!

Chad A.

3:24AM PST on Nov 27, 2011

My favorite is always saving the seeds for toasting into a nice snack. I always feel bad about all of the delicious seeds that get thrown out at Halloween.