An American star from the garden: Summer squash

Looking for a way to add healthy vegetables to summer meals? Summer squash is a real star in the kitchen. It is easy on calories (approximately 30 calories per cup) and offers a wide variety of nutritional and health benefits. Squash can be eaten raw in salads, grilled or oven roasted, spiralized and used as a substitute for pasta, cut into strips for dunking into hummus, or added to a soup or stir-fry. And, most recently, squash has brought out our creativity in internet-featured videos using long thin strips of zucchini, overlapping to form a substitute for flat bread or dough, that can be baked like a pizza or rolled up and used as a wrap with raw vegetables and/or meat fillings.

Adding to its usefulness, the flowers of some squash can be utilized in quesadillas or stuffed and baked with your favorite filling. Zucchini, a well-known summer squash, is often grated and used in cake or incorporated into sweet bread.

Squash can be divided into Winter and Summer Squash. Winter squash is left to grow until the skin thickens and the seeds mature. They are kept under cool temperatures until early winter when fresh vegetables may not be abundant. Summer squash, however, is harvested when the skin is still thin and it can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week. Additionally, winter squash usually grows in a vining manner and the plants of summer squash are more of a shrub. Within each group there are several varieties, some of which were developed to meet cooking needs. A perfect example of this is the round, “8-ball” type of zucchini that is typically cooked with a stuffing.

Squash is native to the Americas, where it has been cultivated since ancient times. Squash seeds found in caves in Ecuador date back 12,000 years. In the United States northeast, the patty pan squash were cultivated by American Indians in the “three sisters” plantings of squash, beans and corn.

The available varieties for planting have greatly increased in recent years due to renewed interest in this vegetable, hybridization, and the introduction of disease resistance. Basically, we have the yellow crookneck and straight neck types, the green and round zucchini, as well as the Mexican squash that is like the zucchini shape, but more of a dull gray green in color, and the patty pan or scallop varieties. Patty pans were originally white, but today, green and yellow types are found. The patty pan is a heritage variety that can be stuffed, chopped or spiralized. It is usually found at farmers’ markets. And, all of these squash varieties are easy to grow in the Rio Grande Valley.

Squash is low in calories, high in fiber, and is a rich source of vitamins A, C and B6, along with magnesium, fiber, folate, riboflavin, phosphorus, and potassium. Summer squash, especially the yellow ones, contain beta carotene and lutein which protects heart and eye health. The high levels of vitamin C also protect against cancer and premature aging. To make the most of all of the healthy compounds available in summer squash, do not peel it.

Summer squash and squash blossoms will be available at the Farmers Market in McAllen’s Firemen’s Park on Saturday, May 10, as they are closed on May 3 due to heavy rain predictions. Additionally, the market will have plenty of free recipes utilizing American summer squash and Master Gardeners will be available to provide tips on growing squash, as well as Vegetable Planting Guides for the Rio Grande Valley. This farmers market is located at 201 N. 1st St., just off of Business 83 next to Town Lake, and is open from 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays. This market carries a variety of vegetables, grass-fed beef, pastured poultry, microgreens, gourmet mushrooms, a variety of baked goods, jams and jellies, along with a selection of crafts. For information about this market, contact (956) 330-6410.

Barbara Storz is a local horticulturist writing about plants that grow well in the Rio Grande Valley. You can find her on Facebook or at the Farmers Market at Firemen’s Park.

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