Head to your local supermarket or farmers’ market this winter and you’ll likely see piles of colorful, hard-shelled winter squash intertwined with the popular pumpkin and sweet potatoes. Available in a multitude of sizes, colors, and textures, these winter squash varieties are some of the winter and fall’s best vegetables and are a delicious option for cooking up during the chilly seasons. But how do you use each squash variety and what do they even taste like? We turned to the experts to help you navigate the squash bin this season.

Some quick facts about squash: Eating squash is a super nutritious way to up your vitamins and get a ton of fiber and carbohydrates on your plate to keep you full. “When you choose winter squash, you can be sure you’ll get a variety of plant nutrients, especially a boost of beta-carotene,” says Jackie Newgent, R.D.N., C.D.N., plant-forward chef, culinary nutritionist, and author of The Clean & Simple Diabetes Cookbook. “When you get beta-carotene through food, it offers antioxidant and immune-related benefits while playing a potential role in prevention and treatment of many chronic diseases.”

But picking a ripe winter squash isn’t as clear-cut as grabbing a banana that’s ready to eat based on the color and feel. Because squash are naturally hard vegetables, it’s tricky to determine when they’re at their peak ripeness unless you know what you’re looking for. “Almost all squash shouldn’t have green on them,” says Lawrence Tse, farm manager at Dig Inn. “They should be fully colored without hues of a lighter green.” And those squash varieties that are naturally green, like a kabocha, will look very light green when ripe, he notes.

Additionally, a super-ripe squash from a farm market will often have a deep orange ground spot on one side of the squash, Tse says. This spot comes from the squash sitting out on the field and the sunlight darkening and ripening the vegetable, which is exactly what you want, he adds.

And if you’ve gotten over-ambitious and stocked your home with too much squash, Tse says it’s totally fine to store them in a cool, dry place for a month or two. In fact, storing squash helps the squash dry out, and that loss in moisture leads to a sweeter squash, he notes. Just be sure there aren’t any dark spots or blemishes on your produce, because these can lead to a quickly rotting vegetable.

1. Butternut squash

Most people are familiar with the oh-so-popular butternut squash. Newgent particularly likes butternuts for their sweet-nutty flavor and the vibrant color they bring to dishes. The medium, tan-colored squash is perfect for pureeing into soups (like this Butternut Squash and Turmeric Soup), roasting with other root vegetables, or sautéed into a pasta (like this Sautéed Butternut Squash, Kale, and Pumpkin Seed Penne), agrees Juliet Glass, director of communications at FRESHFARM, a non-profit that operates producer-only farmers’ markets in the Mid-Atlantic region. Just be sure to scoop out the seeds and remove the peel before eating. “I love how creamy it gets,” she says. “If you’re going to put a squash in a soup, use a butternut.”

2. Spaghetti squash

This popular squash became mainstream because the noodle-like strands can stand in as a nutritious spaghetti alternative, Newgent says. Simply cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and roast. When the squash is fully cooked, use a fork to pull out the spaghetti-like strands and use as you would any noodle in your favorite pasta dishes, like this Chicken Primavera Spaghetti Squash Boat.

Glass notes that you may start seeing some heirloom varieties of this popular squash, including a smaller, angel-hair-pasta option. The flavor is similar, but the texture has slightly thinner strands for a more delicate dish.

3. Honeynut squash

This may just look like a smaller variety of butternut, but it was developed by Row 7 Seed Company specifically to enhance the flavor of the popular butternut and to design a squash to fit on an individual plate, explains Lee Jones, a farmer behind The Chef’s Garden. These little squash have a significantly more concentrated flavor, are much sweeter than their larger parent, and should have nice dark skin without any green, notes Tse.

“I adore them! I just can’t eat enough,” Debra Moser, co-founder of Central Farm Markets in Washington D.C., says of the honeynut. She loves to make them for dinner guests by cutting them lengthwise, scooping out the seeds, and roasting them with just a touch of brown sugar and warming spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg. She notes that you can eat them with the skin on, or remove the skin after roasting if you prefer. You can try this Roasted Butternut Squash With Frizzled Sage and swap in honeynut squash for a sweeter plate.

Keep your eye out for another tiny squash variety developed by Row 7 Seed Company called the Koginut, which has slowly been popping up at chains like Sweetgreen, Jones adds.

4. Acorn squash

One thing that makes the acorn squash stand out: It’s one of few winter squash varieties that you can eat with the skin on. “We tend to throw away the most nutritious part—a lot of the time the skin is the most nutritious part of the vegetable,” Jones says. “I like to be able to eat the skin of the squash.” Plus, Newgent adds that they’re packed with potassium so they’re an excellent addition to your plate. Use chunks in a brothy stew, roast segments, or stuff a half like in this Wild Rice-Stuffed Acorn Squash.

Tse notes that when choosing a ripe acorn squash, be sure that the ground spot is one specific spot on the squash and doesn’t take over the entire squash. This may indicate it’s been over-ripened. You also want a rounder and blunter variety instead of the classic teardrop or acorn shape, because this creates a better-tasting squash, he adds.

5. Delicata squash

This small squash has quickly climbed its way into supermarkets and onto our tables. The squash is yellow and white with green stripes and tastes very sweet, explains Tse. He loves that delicata squash is so easy to prep, given you can eat the skin. They’re great as a salad topper or side dish, he adds.

“I cut them in half, scoop out the seeds, add a small pat of butter, brush with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and I roast them,” Moser says. “They are delicious. My absolute favorite.”

6. Kabocha squash

This larger variety of winter squash, sometimes called a Japanese squash, has been growing in popularity over the last few years, Moser says. Tse adds it’s a sweet squash, but definitely not the sweetest variety, with a flavor almost closer to a pumpkin.

We love this recipe of simply roasted kabocha squash, but Moser says it’s especially delicious in soups and can be pretty just as décor. It can sometimes have a grainy texture, so if it bothers you, opt for blending into purees and soups instead of roasting, Glass suggests.

When choosing a kabocha squash, you want the stem to be similar to a wine cork and very dry and brown, Tse recommends. If the stem isn’t dry, that likely means it was cut too early and isn’t ripe enough.

7. Red Kuri Squash/Hokkaido Pumpkin

This variety of squash is sometimes considered a type of kabocha squash because its texture and flavor are very similar, Tse says. He suggests using it in the same way, but he notes it’s great for storing for long periods of time if you want to keep them on hand all season for a delicious side dish.

8. Sugar Pumpkin

Though technically a pumpkin, this squash variety is the most common produce used for sweet pumpkin pies due to its sweeter flavor, Tse explains, and can be used interchangeably with canned pumpkin in recipes. You’ll want to cut a sugar pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds, roast, and use the tender meat inside as the base for your fall and winter dishes, like these Pumpkin Pancakes.

9. Hubbard squash

Tse says hubbard squash can be as large as 10 to 15 pounds, and he wouldn’t recommend buying a whole squash for yourself. Because of their massive size, you’ll often see these squash cut into chunks and sold in smaller pieces at farm markets, Glass says. They’re tasty roasted with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and brown sugar, but you can also blend them into soups for a delicious winter bowl.

10. Buttercup squash

This squash variety looks similar to an acorn squash but with a smaller top, explains Glass. They’re also sometimes called a bonbon squash, and have a very sweet flavor, Tse adds. He likes to use them in soups or simply cut with the seeds scooped out and roasted as a side dish. Tse notes that you’ll want the stem to be dry and cork-like and the skin should be very dull instead of glossy or shiny when choosing your squash.

11. Turban squash

With a bulbous bottom and a tiny hat-like circle at the top, these squash have a nice sweet, nutty flavor, says Glass. She says they’re good for savory dishes, soups, and stews. As with other squash varieties, slice them in half, scoop out the seeds, and roast to get to the tender flesh inside.

12. Carnival Squash/Sweet Dumpling Squash

“They’re a class of winter squash that are more for decoration than for taste,” Tse explains. He prefers to use acorn squash, delicata squash, or a buttercup squash in place of carnival and sweet dumpling squash because the other varieties tend to have better flavor and are easier to use, though this variety is perfectly acceptable to eat if you happen upon one and want to try it out.

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