Although I was very excited to see the earliest delicatas of the season, the first few that I ate were disappointing: dry and mealy instead of of creamy and sweet. So I asked a farmer friend how to tell if a delicata is ready. She said that some farmers pick them too early because customers (like myself) are so eager to have them.
To tell if a delicata is ripe without cutting it open, look for plenty of contrast between the green stripes and the yellow flesh. There should also be some orange around the rough spot where the squash sat on the ground.
The underripe delicatas worked fine when I peeled them, cut them up, and cooked them with a bunch of other veggies, but my favorite thing to do with delicatas is simply to cut them open, scoop out the seeds, rub them with olive oil, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and roast them for about half an hour, until they're tender. (Make sure there's some water in the pan, so they don't dry out.) It's simple, and it's exquisite as long as the squash is ripe and ready.
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