Winter squash varieties of multiple options

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Here’s the scoop on some winter squash varieties you might find at farmers markets or your neighborhood grocery stores.

• Acorn: Small and round; shaped like an acorn with dark green skin. Some have orange spots; others are all orange. The flesh is yellow and mildly sweet. You can stuff and bake it or cut it into rings and roast.

• Buttercup: Has dark-green skin, sometimes accented with lighter green streaks. It is mildly sweet and great for roasting and stuffing.

• Butternut: Has smooth beige skin and is shaped like a bell. It has a small seed cavity and bright orange flesh. Butternut is a common squash for soup because it tends not to be stringy.

• Ambercup: Similar to buttercup in shape and size, but with orange skin. The flesh is bright orange and very sweet. Peel it, cube the flesh and roast it and serve like cut-up sweet potatoes.

• Sweet dumpling: Has cream-colored skin with green specks. It is very sweet and needs little seasoning. It’s best baked or roasted.

• Carnival: Similar in shape, but bigger, than sweet dumpling squash. The skin is a creamy color either with orange or green spots. It has a thick skin and golden flesh. Use it for soup or to stuff.

• Delicata: Has edible beige skin with dark green streaks. The flesh is creamy and sweet. It is best baked or steamed.

• Hubbard: Has blue skin and is very heavy and hard to cut. It has a savory-sweet flavor and is best roasted. You can also use the flesh for pie.

• Kabocha: Has a green, bluish-gray or a deep orange skin. The flesh is deep yellow and, when cooked, can be dry. It can be baked or steamed.

• Turban: Named for its shape, this squash looks like a flat pumpkin with a smaller squash on top that can have green, orange, red and white streaks. Use in recipes that call for pie or sugar pumpkin.

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