Silly Question - Summer Squash?

[PENNYNIKKEL]

I have a dumb question. I see all these great recipes for summer squash but have no clue what it is. My grocery store carries butternut, acorn, spaghetti and somtimes hubbard, but no "summer squash".

Thanks for helping.

[lorilei]

"Summer squash" is a yellow squash with similar dimensions to a zucchini -- in fact, they are almost interchangeable flavor-wise. They are often labelled YELLOW SQUASH if not summer squash.

(You can substitute zucchini if you can't find yellow squash)

[Peggy]

Penny - Usually when I see a recipe for "summer squash", I will use what I think is called "crook neck squash". It is yellow and rounded at one end while the other end narrows and curve up, (I guess that is why they call it crook neck!). I can't always find the one similar to zucchini. I think the squash names you mentioned are considered to be "winter" squash.

[Anne]

Hi Pennynikkel - hope this helps. summer squash include zuchinni, yellow, crookneck and several other varieties. In general, they are soft shelled (ie you can eat the rind) and harvested when the seeds are not mature. Summer squash generally don't store well for extended periods. Winter squash including hubbard, acorn, butternut and many others are hard shelled, harvested when mature, and store well into the winter. Winter squash are closely related to pumpkins. Traditional summer squash were most often bush variety and winter squash were most often vine type but modern varieties are crossing these generalizations.

[Deanna]

Anne...what a great explanation. "Summer" squash is indeed a "group" of squashes (soft shell, edible seeds), just as "Winter" squash is a "group" of squashes (hard shell, usually don't eat the seeds unless prepared separately, as in roasted pumpkin seeds).

Thanks for sharing!