Spaghetti Squash

The trouble with spaghetti and meat sauce is that the meal seems to suggest crusty Italian bread as an accompaniment. If you have to budget your calories carefully because you're poundage-prone, that's just too much white flour at one sitting. At the Slim Gourmet table it's bread OR pasta . . . not both at the same meal! Unless, of course, the "pasta" grows on vines. The "spaghetti" we're speaking of is "spaghetti squash," one of the more intriguing "designer veggies" to show up in supermarket produce departments.

Can spaghetti grow on vines? Yes, if it's "spaghetti squash," one of the more intriguing botanical curiosities to show up in the supermarket. It looks a bit like a big yellow Persian melon, but its shell is as tough as a turtle egg, until you cook it. And what's inside? Spaghetti! Well, not really. It only looks like spaghetti, albeit yellow spaghetti. After you cook it, the yellow squash interior can be separated into spaghetti- like yellow strands with a fork. No, it doesn't taste like spaghetti - it tastes like squash.

At Linvilla Orchards in Media, produce manager Ed Farace stocks plenty of pumpkin and winter squash varieties that he says taste much better than the standard jack-o'-lantern type. They're all good for you, but as a rule the more orange the meat, the more nutrients it contains, including vitamin C, potassium, omega-3 fatty acids, and beta-carotene. Any of the varieties mentioned below can be purchased now and stored inside in a cool spot for use this winter. Fairytale and Cinderella pumpkins: Both of these deeply ribbed pumpkins will remind you of the kind that magically became a carriage for Cinderella when her fairy godmother sang "Bibbidi, bobbidi, boo. " Both have a flat appearance, as if they have been stepped on and squashed.

Today-Nov. 2 Terror Behind the Walls , includes a three-course dinner with a variety of appetizer, entree and dessert selections, and a ticket for a special Halloween tour of Eastern State Penitentiary. $60; $35 for children ages 7-12. Reservations available through Nov. 2, at London Grill, 2301 Fairmount Ave., 215-978-4545, www.londongrill.com . Plan Now Oct. 18-Nov. 1: Hands-on Basic Cooking Techniques , presented by Temple University, featuring a series of three classes with such topics as preparing meats, fish, vegetables and pasta, how to choose and use spices, and more.

Blue hubbard, buttercup, Turk's head, acorn, delicata, butternut, spaghetti - all poetic names for hard winter squash. And then there are the pumpkins. How can you tell which is which? Hubbard is huge and lumpy, and its color a light powdery blue-gray. Buttercup, a smaller variety of turban squash, has a dark green shell flecked with gray, and a light blue-gray turban. Like its close cousin, Turk's head, it has warty-looking knobs and extra-dense flesh. Acorn is fashionably dressed in elegant deep green, sometimes splashed with orange or buttery light yellow.

I am relieved now that the Great Pumpkin Obsession has officially expired. The classic jack-o'-lantern is a stage hog, as far as other cucurbits are concerned, a hollow scowler that hardly makes a cuddly poster child for all the winter squash. And there are many out there, dozens, hoping to be discovered. Pumpkins, of course, can also be tasty, especially the small ones meant for pie or soup. But what wonders of sweet, orange flesh await beneath the thick skins of other squash, in season from now until March?

With a small greenhouse, flower borders, a vegetable garden and more container-grown plants than you could count on a quick look, gardening plays an important role in the Vassalluzzo home in Langhorne. Even in August, Rosemarie and Jules Vassalluzzo choose to tend the harvest rather than take a vacation. In addition to harvesting tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and other summer bounty, the Vassalluzzos take care to harvest seed for planting in future years. "Sure, we can - and do - buy seeds and plants from mail-order companies and local garden centers, but we also like to save old favorites," says Rosemarie Vassalluzzo.

Yellow summer squash and zucchinis, tomatoes, sweet corn and peppers. . . . Cantaloupes, grapes, strawberries, blackberries, mangoes and more. Best buys depend on a combination of price and good quality. And each of these vegetables and fruits has a good mix of those factors right now. None is quite at its peak, but all (even those just starting their seasons) are at a high level and should only get better in the next few weeks. Summer squash, both yellow and green, are fully edible and well priced at 79 cents a pound.

I'm particularly fond of the winter squashes. They taste good and come in all manner of sizes, shapes and colors. Some, such as the Turks Turban, are quite fanciful - yes, the Turk's Turban is edible. And the darker the yellow the squash is, the more vitamin A you have. A half cup of cooked dark yellow squash provides about 80 percent of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance for vitamin A and also has potassium equal to a large banana - for about 65 calories. Winter squash is easy to freeze, too. FREEZING SQUASH Smaller squashes, such as the butternut and acorn, are easy to cut in half.

Butternut squash reminds me of a large thigh bone because of its shape - a long thin neck attached to a bulbous bottom - and smooth beige color. A stalwart member of the huge squash family, the meat of the butternut is a deep blazing orange in color and has a creamy texture once cooked. Along with its other virtues - reasonable price, good availability, long-keeping quality and versatility - butternut squash is an excellent source of beta carotene and potassium, and a good source of Vitamin C and folacin.

At Linvilla Orchards in Media, produce manager Ed Farace stocks plenty of pumpkin and winter squash varieties that he says taste much better than the standard jack-o'-lantern type. They're all good for you, but as a rule the more orange the meat, the more nutrients it contains, including vitamin C, potassium, omega-3 fatty acids, and beta-carotene. Any of the varieties mentioned below can be purchased now and stored inside in a cool spot for use this winter. Fairytale and Cinderella pumpkins: Both of these deeply ribbed pumpkins will remind you of the kind that magically became a carriage for Cinderella when her fairy godmother sang "Bibbidi, bobbidi, boo. " Both have a flat appearance, as if they have been stepped on and squashed.

Today-Nov. 2 Terror Behind the Walls , includes a three-course dinner with a variety of appetizer, entree and dessert selections, and a ticket for a special Halloween tour of Eastern State Penitentiary. $60; $35 for children ages 7-12. Reservations available through Nov. 2, at London Grill, 2301 Fairmount Ave., 215-978-4545, www.londongrill.com . Plan Now Oct. 18-Nov. 1: Hands-on Basic Cooking Techniques , presented by Temple University, featuring a series of three classes with such topics as preparing meats, fish, vegetables and pasta, how to choose and use spices, and more.

I am relieved now that the Great Pumpkin Obsession has officially expired. The classic jack-o'-lantern is a stage hog, as far as other cucurbits are concerned, a hollow scowler that hardly makes a cuddly poster child for all the winter squash. And there are many out there, dozens, hoping to be discovered. Pumpkins, of course, can also be tasty, especially the small ones meant for pie or soup. But what wonders of sweet, orange flesh await beneath the thick skins of other squash, in season from now until March?

Butternut squash reminds me of a large thigh bone because of its shape - a long thin neck attached to a bulbous bottom - and smooth beige color. A stalwart member of the huge squash family, the meat of the butternut is a deep blazing orange in color and has a creamy texture once cooked. Along with its other virtues - reasonable price, good availability, long-keeping quality and versatility - butternut squash is an excellent source of beta carotene and potassium, and a good source of Vitamin C and folacin.

Blue hubbard, buttercup, Turk's head, acorn, delicata, butternut, spaghetti - all poetic names for hard winter squash. And then there are the pumpkins. How can you tell which is which? Hubbard is huge and lumpy, and its color a light powdery blue-gray. Buttercup, a smaller variety of turban squash, has a dark green shell flecked with gray, and a light blue-gray turban. Like its close cousin, Turk's head, it has warty-looking knobs and extra-dense flesh. Acorn is fashionably dressed in elegant deep green, sometimes splashed with orange or buttery light yellow.

With a small greenhouse, flower borders, a vegetable garden and more container-grown plants than you could count on a quick look, gardening plays an important role in the Vassalluzzo home in Langhorne. Even in August, Rosemarie and Jules Vassalluzzo choose to tend the harvest rather than take a vacation. In addition to harvesting tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and other summer bounty, the Vassalluzzos take care to harvest seed for planting in future years. "Sure, we can - and do - buy seeds and plants from mail-order companies and local garden centers, but we also like to save old favorites," says Rosemarie Vassalluzzo.

Yellow summer squash and zucchinis, tomatoes, sweet corn and peppers. . . . Cantaloupes, grapes, strawberries, blackberries, mangoes and more. Best buys depend on a combination of price and good quality. And each of these vegetables and fruits has a good mix of those factors right now. None is quite at its peak, but all (even those just starting their seasons) are at a high level and should only get better in the next few weeks. Summer squash, both yellow and green, are fully edible and well priced at 79 cents a pound.

Can spaghetti grow on vines? Yes, if it's "spaghetti squash," one of the more intriguing botanical curiosities to show up in the supermarket. It looks a bit like a big yellow Persian melon, but its shell is as tough as a turtle egg, until you cook it. And what's inside? Spaghetti! Well, not really. It only looks like spaghetti, albeit yellow spaghetti. After you cook it, the yellow squash interior can be separated into spaghetti- like yellow strands with a fork. No, it doesn't taste like spaghetti - it tastes like squash.

I'm particularly fond of the winter squashes. They taste good and come in all manner of sizes, shapes and colors. Some, such as the Turks Turban, are quite fanciful - yes, the Turk's Turban is edible. And the darker the yellow the squash is, the more vitamin A you have. A half cup of cooked dark yellow squash provides about 80 percent of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance for vitamin A and also has potassium equal to a large banana - for about 65 calories. Winter squash is easy to freeze, too. FREEZING SQUASH Smaller squashes, such as the butternut and acorn, are easy to cut in half.

The trouble with spaghetti and meat sauce is that the meal seems to suggest crusty Italian bread as an accompaniment. If you have to budget your calories carefully because you're poundage-prone, that's just too much white flour at one sitting. At the Slim Gourmet table it's bread OR pasta . . . not both at the same meal! Unless, of course, the "pasta" grows on vines. The "spaghetti" we're speaking of is "spaghetti squash," one of the more intriguing "designer veggies" to show up in supermarket produce departments.