Carma Spence, Chief Kitchen Creativity Officer

Author: Carma Spence

Carma Spence has been experimenting in the kitchen since she was four years old and loves trying out new recipe ideas. She is the author of Bonkers for Bundt Cakes and Your Perfect Pie, as well as author and contributor to several more non-food-related books. With Carma's Cookery, she is taking her passion for empowering people and blending it with her passion for cooking, gift-giving and entertaining.

Pumpkin is a winter squash and shares much in the way of interior look, feel and taste with fellow winter squashes such as acorn, butternut and buttercup squash. In fact, in savory recipes such as soups, stews, and casseroles, they are practically interchangeable. However, when it comes to desserts, such as pies, sweet bread, and cakes, you’ll want to stick to the traditional pumpkin or branch out into buttercup or butternut.

Buttercup squash

Buttercup squash is dark green, short and has a broad, stocky stem. It is also has a mild, honey-like flavor that works well with desserts. The average size is about 7 inches in diameter and the average weight is about 3 pounds, although some have been known to grow to be over 5 pounds. The flesh of buttercup squash is dense and dark yellow-orange, sometimes even approaching a deeper reddish color.

When you purchase a buttercup squash, look for one that feels heavy for its size, is free from blemishes and soft spots, and has a rind that is deeply colored. You definitely want to avoid any squash that has soft, wrinkled, or moldy spots!

Butternut squash

Another good substitution for pumpkin is the butternut squash, which you can find at most, if not all, grocery stores. It has a sweet, nutty taste that is similar to that of a pumpkin. The flesh is orange and fleshy, and the rind is tan-yellow. When ripe, this squash turns increasingly deep orange and becomes sweeter and richer.

One of the most common ways to prepare butternut squash is roasting, but soup is also quite popular.

A Short History of A Passion for Pumpkins

Once upon a time – actually it was 1995 – I decided to give a homemade cookbook to family and friends for Christmas. Thus Carma’s Cookery was born.

The first book, The Pizza Experience, was so successful that in 1997, I did it again. In the intervening years, my natural fondness for pumpkins has expanded into growing a vine in my backyard and experimenting with using fresh pumpkin in my favorite recipes. Not all experiments worked, but enough did that the 1997 issue of Carma’s Cookery was A Passion for Pumpkins.

Over the years, my collection of pumpkin recipes and interest in all things pumpkin have become quite consuming. And, since I’ve received many kudos from others who have seen the booklet, I’ve decided to expand the original into a full-blown book.

In this blog, I will tell the tale of this journey – from concept to cookbook. Join me as I pull together a cookbook and test 300+ recipes!

Buttercup squash

Butternut squash

A Short History of A Passion for Pumpkins