The World of Squashes & Gourds

The "summer" moniker just means these squash can't be stored for long. Their seeds are full of disease-fighting phytonutrients.

Like their summer brethren, winter squashes are full of vitamins A and C, potassium, and fiber.

Ivy gourds look like miniature cucumbers; use them like zucchini in the kitchen. Leaf, root, and flower extracts are used medicinally.

This summer squash is technically a fruit. But chayote, full of B-complex vitamins, makes a fine substitute for any starchy vegetable.

A gourd with smooth, oblong fruit, high-fiber snap melons are a natural gut cleanser and full of phytonutrients.

A hot Taiwanese summer produces a surprise for a gardener in the form of a gourd that can take the heat: luffa.

What to do with a bounty of zucchini? Turn it into a vitamin C-packed soup inspired by the Sicilian countryside.

Get more ideas for squash in Vegetable Kingdom, a cookbook inspired by history, tradition, and the creative process of artists and musicians.