Squash club
Hearty winter varieties bring a versatile ending to the growing season
Winter squashes are not for the timid. You have to be confident to plunge a knife - even a paring knife - into that hard skin and work your way around a whole squash to open it up. And then there are hundreds of stringy seeds to scoop out and discard (industrious cooks turn these into salty snacks). After roasting or stewing, winter squashes are sweet, dense in a delightful way, and beautiful to look at. And they're filling. Delicata squash rings make an easy and healthful appetizer. Stack them up and pass the napkins. Or set the rings at the bottom of an arugula salad, so the orange flesh is a surprise element on the plate. Butternut is one of the milder-tasting squashes and, with fall's tart apples, can be worked into a velvety pureed soup finished with a sprinkle of crumbled bacon. Or halve and roast acorn squashes, then fill the cavities with a turkey mixture flavored with brown sugar, cider vinegar, and tomatoes. Right now, freshly harvested local squashes are abundant, cheap, and nutritious. They're at their best before the last leaves fall off the trees. 