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“The time is ripe to celebrate food for the central role it plays in our lives. . . . Discover the

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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 lovers
of natural foods everywhere. Providing a wealth of information on natural and whole foods from
apricot 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:

FOODS

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

COMPANION
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 whole
foods, with a special interest in living and raw foods.

“Wonderful . . . Whole Foods Companion is a valuable resource. It does make a difference what you
C O M P A N I O N
eat, 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
a guide for adventurous cooks, curious
“An interesting blend of botanical, culinary, and folk information.” shoppers, and lovers of natural foods
—Library Journal

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Chelsea Green Publishing
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802-295-6300 • www.chelseagreen.com

Cover illustration by Robin Wimbiscus

Cover design by Peter Holm, Sterling Hill Productions
D I A N N E O N S TA D
Whole Foods Final Pages 12/20/04 2:58 PM Page 226
V E G E TA B L E S
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 fresh
looking, with skin that is soft enough to puncture with a
fingernail. 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 the
Aztec 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 slight
ridges. It is fleshier and preferred over the male fruit,
which is covered with warty spines. Although they are
furrowed and slightly pitted by nature, they should not
look as though these indentations have been made by
external forces; nor should they look shriveled, but be
completely firm to the touch. Choose smaller chayotes
over larger, as they get insipid with size. Use as quickly
as possible; if stored in the refrigerator for a week or
more, they soon develop an unpleasant, moldy flavor.
The pale green flesh is crisp and finely textured, with a
taste and consistency that blends cucumber, zucchini,
and a bit of kohlrabi. Young chayote need not be
peeled, while older ones are best peeled. The fruits,
young shoots, leaves, and large fleshy roots are all used
as culinary vegetables. Baked or fried, creamed for
desserts or soups, chayote may be substituted in any
recipe calling for summer squash. However, their bland
flavor 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 like
pears and served cold or baked in slices with cinnamon,
nutmeg, and sugar, or honey, lemon, and butter. The
single large seed, which is edible once cooked, has a
taste 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 (Cucurbita
moschata) ranges from four to six inches long and has a
bulbous blossom end. The crookneck has a long, curved
neck reminiscent of a goose and bumpy, bright yellow
skin and creamy yellow flesh. The straightneck varieties
have a straight neck but same bumpy yellow skin.
Gooseneck squash (Trichosanthes cucu-meriana), also
known as snake squash, is a curled, eye-catching
squash native to southeast Asia and Australia, but it can
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be grown in America and Europe. Eaten in the summer
when immature and thin-skinned, it is usually sliced
into rounds and steamed or boiled and served with
butter, salt, pepper, and herbs such as tarragon, dill, or
marjoram.
Pattypan or scallop squash looks rather like a thick,
round pincushion with scalloped edges. They are their
best when they do not exceed four inches in diameter
and are pale green rather than their mature white or
cream. Their flesh has a somewhat buttery taste, and
the skin, flesh, and seeds are all edible.
Spaghetti squash (Cucurbita pepo) is a large, oblong
summer squash with smooth, lemon-yellow skin. Once
cooked, the creamy golden flesh separates into miles of
swirly, crisp-tender, spaghetti-like strands. The taste is
quite bland, lightly sweet and fresh, its light squash
flavor making a perfect saucing medium. Look for very
hard, smooth, evenly colored squash without ridges,
spots, or bumps. Avoid greenish, honeydew-colored
squash, which may be immature or have sprouting
seeds. Larger spaghetti squash have better flavor and
thicker strands.
Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo), called marrow by the British,
courgette by the French, and zucchini by the Italians, is
by far the most popular summer squash. This prolific,
shiny green squash ranges in size from four inches to
baseball bat size but is best when five to eight inches
long; longer zucchini tend to have seeds that are large,
tough, and preferably removed before using. Unrivaled
in versatility, zucchini may be eaten raw in salads, mari-
nated, stir-fried, stuffed and baked, puréed for soups or
sauces, or even made into pickles and marmalade. The
blossoms are a special delicacy, tossed into a salad or
batter-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 raised
by Nick Balaci of Johnson City, New York, who grew a
691⁄ 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 for
their size and free of soft spots. They are hardy and will
keep for several months if stored in a cool, dry place, such
as a basement.
Acorn squash (Cucurbita pepo), sometimes called table
queen, is shaped like a giant, ribbed acorn with a defi-
Whole Foods Final Pages 12/20/04 2:58 PM Page 227
V E G E TA B L E S
nite pointed end. The slightly dry, orange-colored flesh
of both green and golden varieties has a distinct nutlike
flavor, with the golden variety tending to be a little
sweeter and the green moister. Their large seed cavities
are perfect for stuffing, and they are best when baked.
Unlike most winter squashes, acorns do not contain
much 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 to
thirty pounds. Its thick, hard skin
ranges in color from pale yellow to
ivory, and its finely textured flesh is
creamy orange or pink, sweet, and dry.
Often available cut into manageably
sized pieces, this squash is excellent com-
bined with baked potatoes.
Butternut squash (Caryoka nuciferum) is
reminiscent of a peanut in shape and color,
with a large, round, fleshy bottom that
encloses the seeds and a cylindrical upper part
that is solid flesh. Its smooth hard skin is a
deep butterscotch color (avoid those with streaks
of 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, and
because their skins are thinner than those of other
winter squash, they may be cooked and
puréed with the skin intact. Steamed or
baked like other squashes, they make
excellent single servings when cut in
half, cooked until soft, then served
with a topping of butter and maple
syrup.
Calabaza (Cucurbita moschata) are huge
squashes 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 other
winter squash in dishes where it does not stand alone.
The best calabazas are fine-grained, sweet, moist but
not watery, and ravishingly orange.
Delicata (Cucurbita pepo) is an elongated green and tan-
striped squash with tender yellow flesh. Also called
bohemian or sweet potato squash, it first arrived on
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the scene as early as 1894, introduced by the Peter
Henderson Company of New York City. The size and
shape of a large cucumber, the delicata has a moist,
creamy yellow flesh that tastes and smells like a blend of
corn, butternut squash, and sweet potato. Younger
squashes may have skins tender enough to eat once
cooked. They are best when steamed or baked and are
not recommended for soups or baking into
desserts.
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, this
squash was developed at North Dakota State
University in 1966 and is a close relative of
the acorn squash. The moist, smooth, bright
orange 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, matte
look to the rind; a shiny finish indi-
cates that the squash was picked
immature and will be tasteless.
Golden nuggets can be opened like
pumpkins, scooped clean, brushed
inside with butter and seasonings, and
baked whole. They can also be split
and baked like acorn squash.
Hubbards (Cucurbita maxima) are
named after Elizabeth Hubbard of
Massachusetts and are an old, extensive
group 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 twenty
pounds, these warty, thick-skinned squashes have
sweet, dry, orange flesh. Excellent in pumpkin pie, they
have a thicker, firmer texture than fresh pumpkin, “set
up” easier, and require less sugar.
Kabocha is a generic grouping for many strains of Japanese
pumpkin and winter squash of both Cucurbita maxima
and Cucurbita moschata species. Resembling the but-
tercup or turban squash, with its flattened drum or
turban shape, they range from one to seven pounds, with
rough, 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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V E G E TA B L E S

tender and floury dry, like a balance between sweet
potato and pumpkin. Almost fiberless and with the
highest sugar content of any squash, it is excellent baked
with 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 Agricultural
College (now State University) by Dr. A. F. Yeager.
Long esteemed by many growers as the ideal winter
squash, this turban-shaped squash with its distinctive
pale “beanie” is hard, thin-skinned, and dark bluish
green with dramatic reddish-orange flecks and stripes; it
ranges in size from three to five pounds. The bright
orange flesh is tender, sweet, and custardy smooth when
steamed; when baked it is denser and drier. It may be
used in any manner you would butternut or acorn
squash.
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 plant
classification—thought the twining vines looked unpleas-
antly like worms. The plants were called batatas in their
native West Indies and southern United States.
General Information
Sweet potatoes are not related to potatoes or yams but are
a plump, smooth-skinned, tuberous member of the
morning glory family native to the West Indies and
southern United States. Discovered by Columbus on his
second trip to the New World, the sweet potato was sent
back to Spain in 1494 along with many other new foods.
The Chinese found the sweet potato in the Philippines in

Squash, Winter / Nutritional Value Per 100 g Edible Portion

Acorn Acorn Butternut Butternut Hubbard Hubbard
Raw Cooked Raw Cooked Raw Cooked
Calories 40 56 45 40 40 50
Protein 0.80 g 1.12 g 1.00 g 0.90 g 2.00 g 2.48 g
Fat 0.10 g 0.14 g 0.10 g 0.09 g 0.50 g 0.62 g
Fiber 1.40 g 1.96 g 1.40 g 1.26 g 1.40 g 1.74 g
Calcium 33 mg 44 mg 48 mg 41 mg 14 mg 17 mg
Iron 0.70 mg 0.93 mg 0.70 mg 0.60 mg 0.40 mg 0.47 mg
Magnesium 32 mg 43 mg 34 mg 29 mg 19 mg 22 mg
Phosphorus 36 mg 45 mg 33 mg 27 mg 21 mg 23 mg
Potassium 347 mg 437 mg 352 mg 284 mg 320 mg 358 mg
Sodium 3 mg 4 mg 4 mg 4 mg 7 mg 8 mg
Zinc 0.130 mg 0.170 mg 0.150 mg 0.130 mg 0.130 mg 0.150 mg
Copper 0.065 mg 0.086 mg 0.072 mg 0.065 mg 0.064 mg 0.045 mg
Beta Carotene (A) 340 IU 428 IU 7,800 IU 7,001 IU 5,400 IU 6,035 IU
Thiamine (B1) 0.140 mg 0.167 mg 0.100 mg 0.072 mg 0.070 mg 0.074 mg
Riboflavin (B2) 0.010 mg 0.013 mg 0.020 mg 0.017 mg 0.040 mg 0.047 mg
Niacin (B3) 0.700 mg 0.881 mg 1.200 mg 0.969 mg 0.500 mg 0.558 mg
Pantothenic Acid (B5) 0.400 mg 0.504 mg 0.400 mg 0.359 mg 0.400 mg 0.447 mg
Pyridoxine (B6) 0.154 mg 0.194 mg 0.154 mg 0.124 mg 0.154 mg 0.172 mg
Folic Acid (B9) 16.7 mcg 18.7 mcg 26.7 mcg 19.2 mcg 16.4 mcg 16.2 mcg
Ascorbic Acid (C) 11.0 mg 10.8 mg 21.0 mg 15.1 mg 11.0 mg 9.5 mg
Tocopherol (E) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

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