10 Healthy Reasons You Should Be Eating Squash This Fall (Slideshow)

Most squash varieties are available year-round, but autumn makes us think of warm hearty meals filled with fresh-from-the-farm vegetables like pumpkin and butternut squash. 

Large field pumpkins are best suited for decorating, but eating varieties like Sugar Pie or New England Pie are meaty and slightly sweet. Use pumpkin to make purée, risotto, pie filling, and pumpkin-flavor pancakes.

Mini pumpkins, like the Jack Be Little or Munchkin varieties, are the perfect size for stuffing or using as edible serving bowls.

Butternut squash is one of the tastiest varieties of squash, and it's easy to peel to boot. Simply roasted or puréed, butternut squash will brighten up your fall menu.

Kabocha is a little, green variety of Japanese squash with a bright orange flavorful meat. Steam or bake the slightly dry squash or purée to thicken up soups.

Small and full of fiber, acorn squash is a fall favorite. Because of its many ridges, peeling acorn squash is difficult. Halve and roast with the skin on. You can scoop out the flesh or use the halves as serving bowls.

When cooked, you can scoop out the stringy flesh of spaghetti squash, which then can be used as a healthy replacement for pasta. Try spaghetti squash with red sauce and meatballs, or even turn it into a baked casserole.

Calabaza squash is popular in Caribbean cuisine and tastes similar to butternut squash. Use a large knife like a cleaver to carefully cut through the tough skin.

Delicata is a long, pale green squash that looks like a large cucumber. Easy to peel (though the skin is edible) and quick to cook, delicata should be a fall staple.

Hubbard is a giant of the squash world and, when cooked and mashed, can be used as a sweet or savory purée or pie filling. These can grow anywhere from eight to 12 pounds or heavier, and can last up to six months stored in a cool, dry place.

You can still find zucchini and little patty pan squash hanging around the farmer's markets well into fall. Stuff and serve these end-of-summer treats for a quick, easy meal.