Modern day squash originated from wild squash in Central America and Mexico. Although people have been consuming squash for over 10,000 years, they were first cultivated for their seeds since the vegetable contained little flesh. As time progressed, squash cultivation spread throughout the Americas, and varieties with a greater quantity of sweeter-tasting flesh were developed.

Butternut squash is a type of winter squash that has a sweet, nutty taste similar to that of a pumpkin. It has yellow skin and orange fleshy pulp. When ripe, it turns increasingly deep orange, and becomes sweeter and richer.

Winter squash are members of the Cucurbitaceae family and are related to both the melon and the cucumber. Their shells are hard and difficult to pierce, enabling them to have long storage periods between one week and six months. Their flesh is mildly sweet in flavor and finely grained in texture.

Winter squash is an excellent source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, potassium, dietary fiber, manganese, folates (B Complex) and Omega 3 fatty acids. The combination of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds in winter squash that have shown this food to have clear potential in the area of cancer prevention and cancer treatment. For lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-cryptoxanthin (three other health-supportive carotenoids) winter squash also comes out among the top three food sources in several studies.

Encore Fruit Marketing can provide an excellent source of butternut squash puree to help consumer products deliver one of the 5 A Day vegetable servings.

Butternut squash puree is carefully processed from fresh, washed butternut squash to provide the essential nutrition, flavor and color, in a convenient, ready to use ingredient form. This product is an excellent ingredient to add a vegetable serving your retail label for beverages, soups, yogurts, nutrition bars and snacks and other processed foods.

Contact Encore Fruit Marketing today for product samples and information on Butternut squash puree at www.encorefruit.com or Click Here to use our convenient Contact Form.