Produce

Yellow Squash

Yellow squash is a summer squash, genuinely different from a winter squash like butternut, with a thin, edible skin and high water content that gives it a much shorter shelf life.

It's closely related to zucchini, both summer squash varieties with similar texture and cooking behavior, differing mainly in color and a slightly different flavor profile.

Its high water content means it cooks quickly and can turn watery if overcooked, which is why many recipes call for salting sliced squash and letting it sit briefly to draw out excess moisture before cooking.

Straightneck and crookneck are the two most common yellow squash varieties sold in the US, distinguished mainly by whether the narrow neck end grows straight or curves distinctly, a cosmetic difference with little meaningful impact on flavor or how the squash is used in cooking.

Because yellow squash and zucchini are closely related summer squash varieties that can cross-pollinate readily in a home garden, a gardener growing both nearby sometimes ends up with unusual hybrid-looking fruit the following season if seeds are saved and replanted, a genuine quirk of how these squash varieties reproduce.

A very large, overgrown yellow squash, left on the vine too long, develops noticeably tougher skin and larger, harder seeds than a smaller, younger squash, which is why many cooks and gardeners specifically harvest summer squash on the smaller side rather than letting it grow to its maximum possible size.

Grated yellow squash, salted and drained of excess liquid, is a common addition to a quick bread or muffin batter, similar to how grated zucchini is used, taking advantage of the vegetable's mild flavor and moisture to add tenderness to a baked good without contributing much noticeable flavor of its own.

Because yellow squash blossoms are also edible, they're sometimes battered and fried as a seasonal delicacy or stuffed with a savory cheese filling, a dish more strongly associated with zucchini blossoms specifically but equally applicable to the blossoms of the closely related yellow squash plant.

Spiralizing yellow squash into thin, noodle-like strands has become a popular low-carb pasta substitute in recent years, though the squash releases considerably more water than actual pasta as it cooks, which is why many recipes call for salting the spiralized strands and letting them drain briefly before a quick sauté.

A quick sauté in a hot pan, just a few minutes until barely tender, generally gives yellow squash a better final texture than boiling or steaming it, since the dry, high heat cooks off surface moisture as it goes rather than adding more water to an already water-heavy vegetable.

Grilled yellow squash, sliced lengthwise into planks and cooked directly over hot coals or a gas grill, develops a genuine char and smokiness that a steamed or sautéed preparation can't replicate, a simple summer preparation that pairs it well with other grilled vegetables at a cookout.