r e v i s e d a n d e x p a n d e d e d i t i o n

“The time is ripe to celebrate food for the central role it plays in our lives. . . . Discover the relationship between the foods we eat, the health of our bodies, and the clarity of our minds.”

—from the Introduction

Whole Foods Companion is the essential resource for today’s health-conscious cooks and loversof natural foods everywhere. Providing a wealth of information on natural and whole foods fromapricot to zucchini, this book includes the latest nutritional facts along with useful buying tips, fascinating lore and legends, and traditional uses for hundreds of foods in six categories:

Fruits • Vegetables • Grains • Legumes • Nuts, Seeds, and Oils • Herbs, Spices, and Other Foods

Expand your knowledge of whole foods and make informed, inspired food choices with this updated edition of Whole Foods Companion.

Dianne Onstad is actively involved in nutrition education and the promotion of organic wholefoods, with a special interest in living and raw foods.

“Wonderful . . . Whole Foods Companion is a valuable resource. It does make a difference what youeat, and this book describes in detail the range of nourishing organic foods available to all of us.”

—Alice Waters, founder and owner, Chez Panisse Restaurant and Café

“An interesting blend of botanical, culinary, and folk information.”—Library Journal

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Food/Nutrition/Reference $35.00 USD

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a guide for adventurous cooks, curious shoppers, and lovers of natural foods

WHOLEFOODSC O M P A N I O N

Chelsea Green PublishingWhite River Junction, Vermont802-295-6300 • www.chelseagreen.com

Cover illustration by Robin WimbiscusCover design by Peter Holm, Sterling Hill Productions

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S U M M E R S Q UAS H VA R I E T I E S

Choose summer squashes that are tender and freshlooking, with skin that is soft enough to puncture with afingernail. They perish easily, so store them in the refriger-ator and use as soon as possible.Chayote (Sechium edule) is a pear-shaped squash native

to Mexico and Central America (its name is from theAztec Nahuatl chayotl). Also known as mango squash,pepinello, and vegetable pear, the chayote has soft,pale skin that varies from creamy white to dark green.Female fruit is smooth-skinned and lumpy, with slightridges. It is fleshier and preferred over the male fruit,which is covered with warty spines. Although they arefurrowed and slightly pitted by nature, they should notlook as though these indentations have been made byexternal forces; nor should they look shriveled, but becompletely firm to the touch. Choose smaller chayotesover larger, as they get insipid with size. Use as quicklyas possible; if stored in the refrigerator for a week ormore, they soon develop an unpleasant, moldy flavor.The pale green flesh is crisp and finely textured, with ataste and consistency that blends cucumber, zucchini,and a bit of kohlrabi. Young chayote need not bepeeled, while older ones are best peeled. The fruits,young shoots, leaves, and large fleshy roots are all usedas culinary vegetables. Baked or fried, creamed fordesserts or soups, chayote may be substituted in anyrecipe calling for summer squash. However, their blandflavor begs for big, gutsy flavorings—chilies, spices,garlic, tomatoes, or cheese. Their mild, almost non-existent taste also means they can be, and often are,used in sweet dishes, simmered in a scented syrup likepears and served cold or baked in slices with cinnamon,nutmeg, and sugar, or honey, lemon, and butter. Thesingle large seed, which is edible once cooked, has ataste reminiscent of lima bean and almond. The root,large and tuberous and up to twenty pounds in weight,looks and tastes like a yam.

Crookneck and straightneck squash (Cucurbitamoschata) ranges from four to six inches long and has abulbous blossom end. The crookneck has a long, curvedneck reminiscent of a goose and bumpy, bright yellowskin and creamy yellow flesh. The straightneck varietieshave a straight neck but same bumpy yellow skin.

Gooseneck squash (Trichosanthes cucu-meriana), alsoknown as snake squash, is a curled, eye-catchingsquash native to southeast Asia and Australia, but it can

be grown in America and Europe. Eaten in the summerwhen immature and thin-skinned, it is usually slicedinto rounds and steamed or boiled and served withbutter, salt, pepper, and herbs such as tarragon, dill, ormarjoram.

Pattypan or scallop squash looks rather like a thick,round pincushion with scalloped edges. They are theirbest when they do not exceed four inches in diameterand are pale green rather than their mature white orcream. Their flesh has a somewhat buttery taste, andthe skin, flesh, and seeds are all edible.

Spaghetti squash (Cucurbita pepo) is a large, oblongsummer squash with smooth, lemon-yellow skin. Oncecooked, the creamy golden flesh separates into miles ofswirly, crisp-tender, spaghetti-like strands. The taste isquite bland, lightly sweet and fresh, its light squashflavor making a perfect saucing medium. Look for veryhard, smooth, evenly colored squash without ridges,spots, or bumps. Avoid greenish, honeydew-coloredsquash, which may be immature or have sproutingseeds. Larger spaghetti squash have better flavor andthicker strands.

Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo), called marrow by the British,courgette by the French, and zucchini by the Italians, isby far the most popular summer squash. This prolific,shiny green squash ranges in size from four inches tobaseball bat size but is best when five to eight incheslong; longer zucchini tend to have seeds that are large,tough, and preferably removed before using. Unrivaledin versatility, zucchini may be eaten raw in salads, mari-nated, stir-fried, stuffed and baked, puréed for soups orsauces, or even made into pickles and marmalade. Theblossoms are a special delicacy, tossed into a salad orbatter-dipped and deep-fried or stuffed with a combina-tion of cheese, meat, herbs, nuts, eggs, bread crumbs,rice, or potatoes. The world’s longest zucchini was raisedby Nick Balaci of Johnson City, New York, who grew a691⁄2-inch Romanian zucchini in 1987.

W I N T E R S Q UAS H VA R I E T I E S

Choose winter squashes with thick rinds that are heavy fortheir size and free of soft spots. They are hardy and willkeep for several months if stored in a cool, dry place, suchas a basement.

Acorn squash (Cucurbita pepo), sometimes called tablequeen, is shaped like a giant, ribbed acorn with a defi-

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nite pointed end. The slightly dry, orange-colored fleshof both green and golden varieties has a distinct nutlikeflavor, with the golden variety tending to be a littlesweeter and the green moister. Their large seed cavitiesare perfect for stuffing, and they are best when baked.Unlike most winter squashes, acorns do not containmuch beta carotene, but they are still considered medic-inal for the stomach and spleen.

Banana squash (Cucurbita maxima) is very large, long,and cylindrical and may weigh up tothirty pounds. Its thick, hard skinranges in color from pale yellow toivory, and its finely textured flesh iscreamy orange or pink, sweet, and dry.Often available cut into manageablysized pieces, this squash is excellent com-bined with baked potatoes.

Butternut squash (Caryoka nuciferum) isreminiscent of a peanut in shape and color,with a large, round, fleshy bottom thatencloses the seeds and a cylindrical upper partthat is solid flesh. Its smooth hard skin is adeep butterscotch color (avoid those with streaksof green), and its flesh is a deep orange, with a distinc-tive butterscotch flavor that most people find delicious.Very small butternuts are especially sweet, andbecause their skins are thinner than those of otherwinter squash, they may be cooked andpuréed with the skin intact. Steamed orbaked like other squashes, they makeexcellent single servings when cut inhalf, cooked until soft, then servedwith a topping of butter and maplesyrup.

Calabaza (Cucurbita moschata) are hugesquashes whose mottled skin may be ever-green, sunset, or buff, speckled or striated,though they are always relatively smooth and hard-shelled when mature. Usually sold in chunks or slices,since few could tote the entire large vegetable, this ver-satile squash may be easily substituted for any otherwinter squash in dishes where it does not stand alone.The best calabazas are fine-grained, sweet, moist butnot watery, and ravishingly orange.

Delicata (Cucurbita pepo) is an elongated green and tan-striped squash with tender yellow flesh. Also calledbohemian or sweet potato squash, it first arrived on

the scene as early as 1894, introduced by the PeterHenderson Company of New York City. The size andshape of a large cucumber, the delicata has a moist,creamy yellow flesh that tastes and smells like a blend ofcorn, butternut squash, and sweet potato. Youngersquashes may have skins tender enough to eat oncecooked. They are best when steamed or baked and are

not recommended for soups or baking intodesserts.Golden nugget (Cucurbita maxima) is a

small round squash that looks like a minia-ture fairy-tale pumpkin. Salmon-colored,with a finely ridged, very hard shell, thissquash was developed at North Dakota StateUniversity in 1966 and is a close relative ofthe acorn squash. The moist, smooth, brightorange flesh has a mild squash flavor, which

can range from delightfully sweet and but-tery to not-so-sweet and dull-bland.Choose those that have a dull, mattelook to the rind; a shiny finish indi-cates that the squash was pickedimmature and will be tasteless.Golden nuggets can be opened likepumpkins, scooped clean, brushedinside with butter and seasonings, andbaked whole. They can also be splitand baked like acorn squash.

Hubbards (Cucurbita maxima) arenamed after Elizabeth Hubbard of

Massachusetts and are an old, extensivegroup of squashes that are usually plump

and round in the middle, with tapered necks.Ranging from dark green to blue-gray and

orange-red and weighing from five to twentypounds, these warty, thick-skinned squashes have

sweet, dry, orange flesh. Excellent in pumpkin pie, theyhave a thicker, firmer texture than fresh pumpkin, “setup” easier, and require less sugar.

Kabocha is a generic grouping for many strains of Japanesepumpkin and winter squash of both Cucurbita maximaand Cucurbita moschata species. Resembling the but-tercup or turban squash, with its flattened drum orturban shape, they range from one to seven pounds, withrough, mottled rinds that are thick and deep green(sometimes orange), with paler uneven stripes and mark-ings. The mustard-yellow flesh is sweet and rich-tasting,

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tender and floury dry, like a balance between sweetpotato and pumpkin. Almost fiberless and with thehighest sugar content of any squash, it is excellent bakedwith butter and served as a side dish or stuffed with veg-etables for a main course.

Pumpkin—see separate reference.Turban (Cucurbita maxima), also called buttercup, was

developed in 1932 at North Dakota AgriculturalCollege (now State University) by Dr. A. F. Yeager.Long esteemed by many growers as the ideal wintersquash, this turban-shaped squash with its distinctivepale “beanie” is hard, thin-skinned, and dark bluishgreen with dramatic reddish-orange flecks and stripes; itranges in size from three to five pounds. The brightorange flesh is tender, sweet, and custardy smooth whensteamed; when baked it is denser and drier. It may beused in any manner you would butternut or acornsquash.

Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas)Also Known As: Batata, Boniato

The scientific name comes from the Greek ips, meaning“worm” or “bindweed,” and homoios, meaning “like” or“similar to,” since Carolus Linnaeus—the eighteenth-century Swedish botanist, famed for his system of plantclassification—thought the twining vines looked unpleas-antly like worms. The plants were called batatas in theirnative West Indies and southern United States.

General Information Sweet potatoes are not related to potatoes or yams but area plump, smooth-skinned, tuberous member of themorning glory family native to the West Indies andsouthern United States. Discovered by Columbus on hissecond trip to the New World, the sweet potato was sentback to Spain in 1494 along with many other new foods.The Chinese found the sweet potato in the Philippines in

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Squash, Winter / Nutritional Value Per 100 g Edible Portion

Acorn Acorn Butternut Butternut Hubbard HubbardRaw Cooked Raw Cooked Raw Cooked

Calories 40 56 45 40 40 50Protein 0.80 g 1.12 g 1.00 g 0.90 g 2.00 g 2.48 gFat 0.10 g 0.14 g 0.10 g 0.09 g 0.50 g 0.62 gFiber 1.40 g 1.96 g 1.40 g 1.26 g 1.40 g 1.74 gCalcium 33 mg 44 mg 48 mg 41 mg 14 mg 17 mgIron 0.70 mg 0.93 mg 0.70 mg 0.60 mg 0.40 mg 0.47 mgMagnesium 32 mg 43 mg 34 mg 29 mg 19 mg 22 mgPhosphorus 36 mg 45 mg 33 mg 27 mg 21 mg 23 mgPotassium 347 mg 437 mg 352 mg 284 mg 320 mg 358 mgSodium 3 mg 4 mg 4 mg 4 mg 7 mg 8 mgZinc 0.130 mg 0.170 mg 0.150 mg 0.130 mg 0.130 mg 0.150 mgCopper 0.065 mg 0.086 mg 0.072 mg 0.065 mg 0.064 mg 0.045 mgBeta Carotene (A) 340 IU 428 IU 7,800 IU 7,001 IU 5,400 IU 6,035 IUThiamine (B1) 0.140 mg 0.167 mg 0.100 mg 0.072 mg 0.070 mg 0.074 mgRiboflavin (B2) 0.010 mg 0.013 mg 0.020 mg 0.017 mg 0.040 mg 0.047 mgNiacin (B3) 0.700 mg 0.881 mg 1.200 mg 0.969 mg 0.500 mg 0.558 mgPantothenic Acid (B5) 0.400 mg 0.504 mg 0.400 mg 0.359 mg 0.400 mg 0.447 mgPyridoxine (B6) 0.154 mg 0.194 mg 0.154 mg 0.124 mg 0.154 mg 0.172 mgFolic Acid (B9) 16.7 mcg 18.7 mcg 26.7 mcg 19.2 mcg 16.4 mcg 16.2 mcgAscorbic Acid (C) 11.0 mg 10.8 mg 21.0 mg 15.1 mg 11.0 mg 9.5 mgTocopherol (E) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

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