Ahhh, September! A snap in the heat starts the ripening process for winter squashes. Sharing the same cucurbit family as the tender-skinned summer squashes that are best when harvested immature and tender, the winter squash varieties are harvested at full maturity—thick-skinned, hardened and sweet. Their growing season starts in mid-September and stretches into the early winter.

With their roots, so to speak, in warmer climates of Africa, Asia and South America, squashes grow best when nighttime temperatures remain above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Georgia’s hot summers fit the bill. The heat and the fact that winter squash have a greater resistance to the squash vine borer have made this a popular crop among the sustainable and organic farmers in the state.

Farmer Daniel Parson of Gaia Gardens in Decatur grows three varieties selected deliberately for their taste and inability to cross-pollinate each other and alter the seed stock: a smaller version of the blue-skinned Hubbard squash, a zeppelin-shaped delicata, and what the farmers around here call African squash. This last variety made its way back to Georgia in the luggage of a Peace Corps worker returning from Zaire. He began farming in Georgia and shared the seeds he selected for improved storage traits with other Georgia farmers.

From such humble roots, the African squash now graces some of the loftiest dining establishments in the state. Bennett Hollbrook, chef de cuisine of the Atlanta Grill at the Atlanta Ritz Carlton, is a fan of the variety, saying, “The African has more spice notes than the butternut.” With a colder turn in the weather, diners welcome the starchier accompaniment. He adds, “When I’m doing my holiday menus, it’s in there in some shape or form. Whether it’s squash puree with venison for a main course, in a pumpkin cheesecake or soufflé, or juiced and clarified into a clear broth that can be served with fish or meat.” With a thick squash soup and a whipped cream canister, Chef Hollbrook offers a playful turn by creating a foam served in a shot glass with diced lobster on the bottom. He encourages, “There’s endless ways that you can use it.”

One of the most endearing traits of winter squash is its longevity in storage. Squash saved in a cool, dry, dark storage area will keep for months. The African squash is known to keep up until it’s time to plant the seeds again the following year. Refrigeration? Don’t even think about it. Standard refrigerator temperatures damage these warm-climate fruits. To keep a steady supply on hand until April, Daniel Parson suggests a shift in buying strategy: “Buy a case of it. There’s no telling if any one squash will last two or five months.” Steady use of those that are getting soft or dehydrated naturally leaves the heartiest specimens to the last—extending the reach of the harvest as far as early spring of the following year while simultaneously identifying the seeds that will improve the storability of successive generations.

Suzanne Welander is the communications director for Georgia Organics (GO), a member-supported nonprofit organization working to integrate healthy, sustainable and locally grown food into the lives of all Georgians. For more information about GO, visit www.georgiaorganics.org.

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