Turban Squash?
Turban Squash is less well known but worth trying. The shell is green with speckles or stripes and the flesh is orange-yellow. The taste is similar to that of hazelnuts.
Pumpkins are actually part of the squash family. Over 90% of the pumpkins sold are for Halloween, but they are overlooked as a great source of nutrition. The best pumpkins for eating are the smaller “sugar pumpkins”. As we discussed in a previous week, the seeds of the pumpkin are powerhouses of nutrients. They are often referred to as pepitas.
Sweet Potatoes (and Yams) are possibly one of the healthiest nutrient dense foods with a relatively low caloric content. Sweet Potatoes are not actually a part of the potato family; they are not potatoes that are sweet! They are actually members of the Convolvulaceae, or morning glory family. We tend to call the darker, sweeter sweet potato a yam, but it truly is not. The true “yam” is a part of a different family and is a large part of the diets of South America, Africa, West Indies, and Pacific Islands.
Sweet Potatoes are great baked whole, steamed, Cut into pieces and baked with seasonings and light oil (Baked Sweet Potato Fries) but ideally should not be boiled in that they lose many of their vitamins and nutrients to the water and become soggy and less rich in taste and fiber.
