When buying squash, should you choose dark green or light green skin?

Squash is also known as green squash, scientific name Benincasa cerifera Savi, belongs to the cucurbitaceae family. Winter melon has a mild sweet taste and is often used to boil, stir-fry or make soup.

Currently, in markets and supermarkets, there are many types of squash with different skin colors, making consumers wonder whether when buying squash, they should choose dark green or light green skin, and whether these types of squash have different skin tones. Is there a difference in quality…

Dark green and light green skin types of squash often appear. So what is the difference between these types of squash and should you choose dark green squash or light green squash?

When buying squash, should you choose dark green or light green skin?

In fact, these two types of squash have similar nutritional composition, but are different in taste. Dark green-skinned squash has thicker flesh, less intestine, and is delicious. Meanwhile, pumpkins with light-colored skins often have very crispy flesh, not too thick, moderate flesh, and not as rich a flavor.

So when buying squash, should you choose dark green or light green skin? This depends on your preferences, but in general, most people rate the quality of dark green-skinned squash as higher than light green-skinned squash.

How to choose delicious squash

In addition to choosing by skin color, you can distinguish good squash through the following factors:

Powdery layer on the shell 

The skin of squash often has a layer of white powder on the outside. If the pumpkin still has that white powdery layer, it proves that it has just been picked, is still fresh, mature and of good quality. 

On the contrary, if the squash is quite shiny, it may have been picked for a long time and transported a lot, so it is no longer fresh. 

Additionally, when buying squash, you should also be careful to choose fruits that have a balanced shape and are not deformed; Do not choose to buy squash with black spots or pits because it is likely to have worms inside. 

Pumpkin cores and seeds 

Many squash are big and long and customers only buy slices to eat during the day. In this case, you can further observe the core and seeds. If the squash has a large and thick core, it’s best not to buy it because it shows that the flesh is small and thin.

If you see that the squash seeds are ripe and have turned yellow brown, it means the squash is old and the flesh is crispy and sweet, so you should buy it.

Mass

You should try weighing two squash of similar size to compare. Whichever squash is heavier means it has more juice and flesh, so you should choose it; Lighter fruit shows that it has lost a lot of water or has a thick core and is less delicious, so you should not buy it.

Notes when eating and preserving squash

Winter melon is a very healthy food, but people with low blood pressure, people with cold constitutions or weak stomachs should limit eating it.

Squash is delicious and best when cooked (stir-fried, boiled or cooked in soup). Absolutely do not eat it raw or drink juice because it can easily harm the digestive system.

How to preserve squash: In an environment with a temperature of 10 – 13 degrees Celsius, squash can be preserved for up to 6 months, with small fruits it can only be preserved for 3 months. Do not store squash with apples, pears or other ripe fruits because it will cause the squash to deteriorate and spoil quickly.