Q. I see all sorts of fancy pumpkins and winter squash in the stores right now. I know that many people only use them for decoration, but I was wondering if they are edible.

Most of the pumpkins and squash that you see in the store are edible. We’ve found out the hard way that edible does not automatically mean good tasting. (Someday, I will write about our unfortunate experience with black radishes.)

Pumpkins that are sold for carving are generally thin-walled, fibrous, and not good for eating. We tried baking several and found them to be very stringy. After running the flesh through a food mill, we were left with about a cup of puree and a bucket of stringy, yucky stuff.

Pie pumpkins, presumably better-suited for cooking, were not much better. They are thin-walled and less fibrous, but each pumpkin yielded very little pulp.

Hubbard squash is a large, football-shaped blue-gray winter squash. Its flesh is sweet and tastes like a high-quality pumpkin. Canned pumpkin puree usually consists of a mix of pumpkin, butternut squash, and Hubbard squash.

Little Gem is similar to Hubbard, except it is much smaller, teardrop-shaped, and golden orange. These are about the size of a softball.

Jarrahdale originated in Australia and is a very attractive blue-gray color with bright orange flesh. It is somewhat blocky with deep ridges. This is one of our favorites due to its sweet, nutty flavor, thick walls, and excellent keeping ability. 

Queensland Blue is another pretty blue pumpkin, similar to Jarrahdale but with shallow ribs. The relatively smooth exterior makes it easy to peel, which is convenient if you want to cut the flesh into cubes for roasting.

Rouge V’if D’Etampes, sometimes called “Cinderella”, is a bright red-orange color with a flat, round shape. These pumpkins can get relatively large, but they are also good for eating.

Cinderella is generally smaller than Rouge V’if D’Etampes and is round, flat, and deeply ridged. The rind is a dusty, muted orange color (almost tan) and the walls are thick. This beauty is a good keeper and is delicious.

If you want to cut a thick-walled pumpkin in half for roasting or baking, you may have noticed that it can be a challenge. Trying to push a pointy, sharp knife into one of these pumpkins can be hazardous. Instead, use a cleaver and rubber mallet to split the squash. Once there’s a break in the wall, you can gradually lengthen the split until there’s enough space to pry it apart with your fingers. This is safer than potentially stabbing yourself with a chef’s knife and more convenient than breaking out the reciprocating saw.

If you try cooking any of these squashes and find out that they are either not sweet or too fibrous, you can always feed it to your dog. Remember, there’s no difference between edible and good-tasting if you’re a dog.

Los Angeles County

[email protected]; 626-586-1988; http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/UC_Master_Gardener_Program/

Orange County

[email protected]; http://mgorange.ucanr.edu/

Riverside County

[email protected]; https://ucanr.edu/sites/RiversideMG/

San Bernardino County

[email protected]; 909-387-2182; http://mgsb.ucanr.edu