You’ll find acorn squash with white-gold, warm orange, or dark green skin, but they all have the same nutty-flavored flesh inside. At the market, choose squash that feel heavy for their size. Like other winter squash, acorn squash are quite high in water content, so those that don’t feel heavy probably have been sitting around for a while and are drying up. Although acorn squash is grown year-round, the peak is October through March, when it has been cold-weather harvested and stored in the cold to develop its sugars.

Acorn squash is so delicious that it doesn’t need much fussing with, which is a good thing, because that ridged surface is a real drag to peel. So keep it simple: Halve acorn squash lengthwise, hollow out the seeds, rub the flesh with butter, season with salt and pepper or a sprinkling of brown sugar or maple syrup, and roast, cut side up, until tender.