Summer squashes are picked before they’re mature. The rind is thin and edible, and you can also eat the seeds. But summer squashes can’t be stored like winter squashes.

Summer squash contains a great deal of water, and for this reason, its food value is very low, being about equal to that of lettuce, celery, etc. Because of the large percentage of water in its composition, as little water as possible should be added in its cooking, or the result will be a vegetable so watery as to be unattractive and unpalatable.

Winter Squash is the kind of squash that may be removed from the vine in the fall and stored for winter use. Although both summer and winter squashes are closely related, they differ considerably in appearance, flavor, texture, and composition. The different varieties of winter squash are usually larger than summer squashes and have a very hard outside covering. They also contain less water and more carbohydrate and have a higher food value.

SUMMER SQUASH
Wash the summer squash. Cut it in slices three-fourth inch thick. (Do not remove the skin or the seeds.) Dip each slice in flour. In a frying pan put some fat and heat it. Add the squash and cook each slice on both sides until golden brown in color. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then place a cover over the frying pan and continue to cook the squash until it is tender. Serve at once.

BOILED SUMMER SQUASH
If the rind is tender, boil it whole in a little bag kept for the purpose. It should be put into boiling water. Three quarters of an hour is long enough to cook it. Take the bag into a pan and press it with the edge of a plate or with a ladle, until the water is out. Then turn the squash out into a dish, add salt and butter, and smooth over the top.

STUFFED SUMMER SQUASH
Cut a summer squash in halves. Scoop out the pulp and strain it in cheese cloth. To the pulp, add an equal amount of cracker crumbs and twice as much chopped ham or veal or shrimps.

For four cups of the above mixture, add the following: Melt two tablespoons butter, add two tablespoons finely chopped pepper, one tomato cut in pieces, and one beaten egg. Add the squash mixture, and cook ten minutes. Fill squash shells and bake ten minutes.

SQUASH FRITTERS
Mix thoroughly two cups mashed summer squash, one tablespoon butter, one-half cup rich milk, one cup flour, one tablespoon sugar, one-half teaspoon salt, and the beaten yolks of two eggs. Then fold in the stiffly-beaten whites. Brown on a griddle.

STEWED SUMMER SQUASH
Wash and peel the desired number of summer squashes and cut into small pieces. Put over the flame in just enough water to start the cooking and add sufficient salt to season well. Cook until tender enough to be pierced with a fork and most of the water is boiled away, being careful not to scorch. Remove from the fire, season with pepper, and add one tablespoon of butter for each four persons to be served. Mash until the squash is as fine as desired and serve at once.

FRIED SUMMER SQUASH
Wash a summer squash. Cut it in three-fourth inch thick slices (do not remove the skin or the seeds.) Dip each slice in flour. In a frying pan, put some fat and heat it. Add the squash and cook each slice on both sides until golden brown in color. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then place a cover over the frying pan and continue to cook the squash until it is tender. Serve at once.

SAUTÉD SUMMER SQUASH
For variety, summer squash is sometimes sliced, coated with egg and crumbs, and then sautéd until well browned. To prepare it in this way, wash and peel the squash and cut it into slices about one-fourth inch thick. Roll first in beaten egg diluted with milk or water and then in fine crumbs. Sauté in a small amount of fat in a frying pan until well browned, and then turn and brown on the other side. Serve hot.

SQUASH ITALIENNE 
Take one and one-half cups of prepared squash pulp, one and one-half teaspoons salt, one teaspoon paprika, two tablespoons finely minced parsley, and two tablespoons finely minced onions. Mix thoroughly and then dice two ounces of salt pork. Brown the salt pork nicely and drain off about one-half of the fat in the pan. Pour the squash mixture over the salt pork and heat and serve.

SQUASH GRIDDLE CAKES
Take one-pint flour, nearly a pint of milk, two eggs, one teaspoon cream of tartar, half as much soda, four tablespoons sugar, one teaspoon salt, and two cups of sifted squash. Mix the flour with the other dry ingredients, and rub through a sieve. Beat the eggs well, add them and the milk to the squash, and pour on the flour. Beat till smooth and light. This gives a thin batter. If the cakes are liked thick, a little more flour may be used. Fry as usual.

BAKED SQUASH WITH CELERY STUFFING
With such summer squashes as are of the right shape to bake, the greater part of the inside may be scraped out, chopped and put in with the dressing. Make a thick sauce of rich milk and browned flour. Add to it chopped onion, minced garlic if liked, a few coarse bread crumbs and a large quantity of finely sliced celery. Fill the squash, sprinkle with crumbs, and cover with slices of tomato from which the seeds have been removed, or with pieces of canned tomato. Nuts may be used with this also. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and bake covered until time to brown over the top.

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