CALABAZA (SAMPLE)

30 - 45 lb per piece Seasonally sourced from Costa Rica, Florida, Mexico, and New Jersey Calabaza aka "West Indian Pumpkin", "Calabaza Squash", "Ka-La-Ba-Sa-Nan-Gua", "卡拉巴萨南瓜", "卡拉巴薩南瓜" Calabaza has a flat oval to pear-like shape. Calabaza is a hard shell squash with dark orange skin and prominent vertical ridges. The firm, yellow to orange flesh surrounds a large, central seed cavity with stringy pulp and small, flat, and hard cream-colored seeds. Calabaza, when cooked, is smooth, fine-textured, and has a mild, sweet, and nutty flavor similar to butternut or acorn squash. Calabaza squash is best suited for baking, steaming, roasting, grilling, braising, or sautéing. Calabaza is available year-round. Handling Tip Selection Calabaza is firm and heavy for its size with no soft or wet spots. Calabaza is moist with no signs of bruises or cracked rinds. The rind should appear dull and the stem should be firmly attached. Shiny rind indicates an immature Calabaza. Storage Calabaza should be stored at 50°F - 55°F (10°C - 13°C) with a relative humidity of fifty to seventy percent and no mist. The typical shelf life is no more than two to three months. Extremely low humidity may lead to excess weight loss and flesh deterioration. Calabaza is not sensitive to ethylene, a naturally occurring gas that regulates ripening, and produces a low amount of ethylene. However, Calabaza with bruises and cuts significantly increases ethylene production. Calabaza is sensitive to chilling injury at storage below 50°F (10°C). Symptoms include loss of flavor, water-soaked spots, and sunken pits on the surface.