Coming from the gourd family of flora, the butternut squash is a native vegetable in the West. In fact, there were traces that proved butternut squash was already being served in Mexico back in 5500 BC. Imagine how long ago that was. Butternut Squash is more common in the West because it is a winter squash. Squash has two kinds being one, winter, and the second is summer. Butternut Squash has a thick and hard skin that measures about 3 to 5 inches in width and 8 to 12 inches in length. It can weigh up to 3 pounds with a color of tan to yellow in the outside, and orange in the inside. It’s not your Jack O’ Lantern squash as it is taller than rounded. This veggie is available during early fall to winter season.

Butternut squash can be stored longer than the summer squashes because they have thicker and harder skin. So you can keep them for at least a month as long as you store them in a cool dry place. If you have already opened your butternut squash, just cut them into pieces and wrap them in plastic. Store them in your fridge for up to a week. What’s great about the butternut squash is that you can get proteins, carbohydrates, riboflavin, iron, and Vitamins A and C.

Bowl of Squash Soup

Now, it’s time to learn how to cook butternut squash. When preparing your butternut squash, simply rinse and cut it lengthwise. Just remove the seeds and the string of fibers while you’re at it. If the seeds are large enough, you may even use it for some roasted pumpkin seeds. You can opt to peek the skin before cooking or leave it too. You can flavor your butternut squash with several different herbs and spices. There’s allspice, anise seed, brown sugar, butter, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, ginger, mace, nutmeg, paprika, sage, savory, tarragon, thyme and turmeric among many others. Now, learning how to cook butternut squash will vary on how you want your butternut squash cooked. You can bake, boil, microwave, roast, steam, or even stir-fry your butternut squash. Here are a few basic guidelines on how to cook butternut squash.

1. When frying your squash, it’s done when it’s already tender when pierced.
2. When baking your butternut squash, simply bake it uncovered for about half an hour at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Now if you want steamed squash, simply cube your veggie and place them on a steamer on high for about 8 minutes.
4. If you want roasted squash, just roast it for 30 to 45 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit as well.
5. Now if you want to boil your butternut squash, again, cube the veggie and boil it for about 9 minutes.
6. If you want the easy way of cooking through a microwave, simply cube them and put it in a microwave-safe dish. Cook them for 10 to 12 minutes.

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