Butternut Squash Soup
Photo: Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer
Squashes are true natives of the New World, with research dating various species back thousands of years in the Americas. I’ve read that they were considered “the apples of God” by North American Indians, who had a strong belief that if planted close to settlements, they’d result in increased fertility. The modern butternut was developed in Massachusetts in the mid-20th century by crossing a Gooseneck and a Hubbard squash to achieve a sweet nuttiness with a buttery texture.