Squashes, Winter (Small to Medium Types)

Ahuge Hubbard may have its place at a Thanksgiving feast, but a Sweet Dumpling does wonders for a workday dinner for two, and a Spaghetti Squash feeds four at Sunday supper. Like watermelon, hard squash has been scaled down so that it no longer needs a whole clan to tote and eat it.

Smaller squashes can have a high profile in a meal, unlike the giants, which must be mashed or beaten to fit into the serving dish and thus lose their distinctive appearance. Smaller squash is more likely to star. While strapping pumpkins of various nationalities can take each other’s place in a soup pot, nothing can stand in for a Delicata or Sweet Dumpling.