Butternut Stir-Fry with Peppers and Peas

Many foods are inextricably linked to certain growing seasons. For example, most people seldom eat juicy watermelon before or after summer, as this juicy, refreshing fruit seems tailor-made for long, warm days. The same can be said for other produce, including squash. While zucchini and yellow squash are decidedly summer fare, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, and butternut squash seem much more at home when the chilly weather arrives. That might be why these squashes are commonly featured in holiday dining, which dominates the third quarter of the year.

There are many different ways to prepare...