The cushaw squash is not one that is readily found in the grocery store, but one pass through your local farmer’s market or pumpkin patch and you will likely see one. They are hard to miss with their vibrant green stripes and large size. Because of it’s size, I resisted buying one for quite some time because I was intimidated by the thought of trying to use it all!
When I finally worked up the courage to go for it, I was pleasantly surprised. I bought it at a local pumpkin patch for just $4.00 and I was determined to use every last bit of it. As it happens, this squash is extremely versatile and with the help of my little taste testers, we had no trouble finding several delicious ways to use it!
What is a Cushaw Squash?
The cushaw is a variety of winter squash and is originally from the south of Mexico. It is a large (sometimes up to 20 pounds!) squash with a characteristic green and white striped pattern. It has a mildly sweet taste and behaves like a pumpkin or delicata squash when it is cooked. It is high in vitamins C and A which make it excellent for your immune system.
After its wonderful flavor and affordable price, my favorite thing about this squash is that it is resistant to the squash vine borer which has wreaked havoc on my own squash plants on more than one occasion. This makes it easy to grow your own and because it preserves so well, you can enjoy cushaw all year long.
So let’s recap: the cushaw squash is easy to grow, resistant to pests, easy to store, versatile to cook with, good for you, inexpensive, and yummy! What are you waiting for? Let’s get started!
Preparing a Cushaw
I have talked before about freezing a cushaw in cube sized pieces in order to keep it for later use, but there are many other ways to use and prepare this type of squash. I began by washing the dirt off of the skin and cutting off the stem. I then sectioned it into 3 large pieces by cutting the neck into two sections, leaving the large bulb shaped bottom for last. I joked that I would need a hack saw to get through it, but it was actually no more difficult to cut through than a large pumpkin.
How to Preserve Cushaw Squash
The top section of the neck I sliced in half the long way. I peeled the skin off the first half with a vegetable peeler and cut it into 1” cubes. The other half I sliced it into 1” wedges. I did not peel the skin off because I didn’t feel it was necessary. The wedges and cubes would be used to make a simple roasted side dish.
Moving on to the middle section, I again peeled it with the vegetable peeler and began cutting it into 1” cubes until I had 2 pounds (or 10 cups). These would be for squash soup. The rest I cut into ½” cubes and divided this pile in half. I allotted about 4 cups to make a sweet dish and the other 4 cups to be saved for a delicious side.
Now for the bottom piece. I cut it in half and scooped out the seeds. Save them! They make a wonderful roasted snack. Don’t worry about peeling this part. I cut it into large hunks and put it in a steamer basket. I was (barely) able to fit it all into the steamer basket in my large stockpot. I added about 3 inches of water to the pot and steamed for about 20 minutes, then tested it after 20 minutes by poking it with a fork in several places to make sure it was all tender. Once it was done, I pulled it out one piece at a time and, using a knife, cut away the skin. It came off very easily. Then, I put all the flesh back into my stockpot (removed the water first) and pureed it with an immersion blender. You can also use a food processor or high powered blender for this part, but immersion blenders make the job so easy!
This is where this squash really made me happy. Once it is pureed, you can literally do anything with it! It can be used as a substitute for pumpkin puree to make muffins, pie, cheesecake, lattes, pancakes, and chili just to name a few. I made smoothies and then froze the rest in 1 or 2 cup quantities to use later.
Ways to Use a Cushaw
1. Roast It
Perhaps the easiest way to use a cushaw squash (or any winter squash really) is to simply roast it in the oven. Any desired spices can be used and you can customize this however you’d like. I often make big batches of roasted squashes and other vegetables on the weekend and have in the fridge to add to soups, casseroles, or other meals on busy nights.
Roasted Cushaw Squash Recipe
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss cushaw cubes with olive oil, rosemary, and sea salt.
- Spread evenly on a large baking sheet.
- Cook in 400°F oven for 15 minutes.
- Stir and cook for 10 minutes more.
Notes
Nutrition
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2. Cushaw Soup
The natural sweet taste of cushaw lends itself perfectly to a sweet and savory soup. Naturally gluten free and dairy optional, this soup is delicious on its own. For a full meal, consider adding some pre-cooked chicken or sausage for protein.
3. Pumpkin Pie Spiced Cushaw
Cushaw’s sweet taste and firm texture make it similar to apples when seasoned with honey and cinnamon. For a healthy and delicious dessert in just a few minutes, saute some cushaw cubes in a large skillet with some butter, honey, coconut milk, and pumpkin pie spice to create a taste similar to baked apples.
Feeling like an overachiever? A cushaw can literally be dinner (as a soup) and dessert (like this recipe) in the same day with several pounds left over to freeze for another meal, considering you can usually get one of these for under $5.00, that is an amazing deal! View the recipe here.
4. Lemon Pepper Cushaw Recipe
Lemon pepper makes everything better … at least in my opinion. I started making my own lemon pepper seasoning years ago and I add it to everything along with some garlic powder and salt. I’m convinced that practically any spice would pair well with winter squash because of the mild flavor (curry powder anyone?), but I really love this savory lemon-pepper flavored cushaw squash recipe. Check out the recipe here.
5. In a Smoothie
Not sure about the idea of putting squash in a smoothie? Since cushaw squash makes a great substitute for pumpkin in recipes, it is perfect in a pumpkin pie smoothie. It is slightly more sweet than pumpkin and naturally high in vitamins. It pairs well with pumpkin pie spice, coconut milk, banana, yogurt, and honey in this recipe. Here’s my cushaw pumpkin pie spice smoothie recipe.
6. Roasting the Seeds
And if you didn’t get enough out of your squash already, you can toast the seeds for a tasty, crunchy snack. Seasoning them is a matter of preference. You could sprinkle them with cinnamon and a drizzle of honey for a sweeter snack or use any combination of your favorite spices. Just don’t forget to save a few and dry them to grow next year, they are easier to grow than pumpkins and can substitute for most winter squash. You can probably grow a big crop with just a few seeds in a small area of your backyard. Check out how to roast cushaw seeds here.
Have you ever cooked with cushaw squash? Let me know your favorite way to prepare it below!
The Cushaw Pumpkin is NOT from south of the border. Like most winter squash varieties in the US and the summer squash, it was selectively domesticated by the Native Americans of the Southeast. Cushaw is the phonetic spelling of the name of the Upper Creek Indians, who lived in the mountains of Georgia and Alabama. The Coosa River is named after them. Needless to say, since I live in the Georgia Mountains, my cushaw vines grow like Kudzu. I get some monster fruits from flowers that bloom early in the season.
Thank you for the recipes. I am a divorced and single male, so didn’t know what to do with the mega-squashes or how to save their nutrition for winter.
Very thankful for all the great ideas in this post. I am growing Cushaw for the first time and had no idea how huge they would get. Your post will get passed along to everybody I give one of these monsters to so that they won’t be as overwhelmed as me, lol.
I grew up in west central Illinois calling them field squash. My grandmother used a few for pies at the holidays. Grandpa liked it better than pumpkin, but the light color was turned an ugly grey color when the spices were added. Fast forward 50 years and I tried my hand at raising produce for local farmers markets and saw them in my seed catalogs advertised as cushaw pumpkins. After checking they are classified as a pumpkin variety . They milder a milder flavor and depending on the variety either light lemon yellow or pastel salmon flesh and make great pies. As mentioned earlier they don’t have an appealing color when made using spices, but using pumpkin spice extract makes gorgeous lemon yellow pie (yellow variety) that will make you think lemon cream pie until you taste it. Careful with the extract to much and I got some bitterness. About a teaspoon for quart of filling (enough for a deep 9 inch crust) worked for me with Watkins brand extract. I buy a couple a year since I give up the produce business. Cut it into large chunks an bake at 352 F until the skin is easily pierced by a knife (about 1 hour). Let cool scrape the flesh off of the skins (much easier than peeling raw), puree, freeze 2 cup batches per pie. A can of sweetened condensed milk , two large eggs, two cups pumpkin puree, and one teaspoon pumpkin spice extract. You can use it in your preferred recipe substituting two cups of pureed cushaw for one can of canned pumpkin.
The puree is great for soups,cookies, and breads as well.
I roast cushaw then purée and spread out on my dehydrater trays and dry. When dry, grind to a powder and store for use in soups, breads, pies, side dishes. Just add enough liquid (apple juice, water, or stock, depending on what you are making) to make a paste similar to its original texture and continue with recipe as if it were fresh. Takes up a lot less room when it’s dehydrated!
I didn’t have enough zucchini to make relish (due to squash bugs killing my plants), so I added in shredded cushaw. The relish turned out a beautiful golden color and is a relish I relish…haha. I also baked some cubed cushaw with cinnamon, rosemary and maple syrup. I’m making muffins with the baked yummylious squash. Definitely going to grow it next year, if just to starve to squash bugs!
I had never bought a cushaw until the other day & the lady told me she made her pie with only cinnamon & said it was better that way. She didn’t remember the amount she used & I can’t find any recipe that doesn’t have the usual ginger, nutmeg, etc spices. I want to know if anyone has ever used only cinnamon & how much.
I am amazed to some of you say that cushaw squash is mildly sweet, good tasting, etc. I grew 5 Cushaw types (Japanese Pie Squash variety) and they have no sweetness whatsoever.
This must be the reason that Ruby Browning Vice (commenting above) adds sugar and cinnamon to her baked cushaw squash dish.
Anyway, yesterday I made pumpkin pudding out of a roasted Cushaw Japanese Pie Squash that I roasted first, and the sugar & spices & cream of course make it taste almost like a standard issue pumpkin pie. Can’t let food go to waste. Everything can be rescued!