It may be the most colorful, oddball family around, but don’t worry — it’s not yours. Members of the seed-bearing Cucurbitaceae family include rotund hundred-pound pumpkins and watermelons, crinkled sunburst squash, tubular zucchinis and even gnarled, brightly banded snake gourds.

These diverse plants are related by the internal seeds that — botanically speaking — make them fruits. Most grow in warm areas on thick green vines. In the fall, the gourds make their way to our dinner tables, in decorative display baskets and as food. The term "squash" denotes a gourd that is completely edible: Every bit of a squash can be and is consumed, from its skin to its seeds.

Native Americans were quick to understand that squash was a staple crop. Known as one of the "Three Sisters" crops, they planted it in abundance, along with corn (maize) and beans. The Nahahiganseck tribe, who controlled the Narragansett Bay in present-day Rhode Island, gave squash its original name: askutasquash, which literally means a "green thing eaten raw."

Americans aren’t alone in their love of squash; it has many uses all over the world. In Latin America, it’s made into candy or fermented beverages. In Mexico, China and India, its seeds are used in traditional folk medicines.

Now, with the help of advanced agricultural technology, most squash grow and are available year-round, but they were once grouped under the labels "winter" or "summer" squash when season and location played a larger role in determining availability. Summer squash (including zucchini and yellow varieties) have thin skins and rarely keep past a week. Winter squash (including acorn, butternut, spaghetti and buttercup varieties) have thicker, tougher skins and can be preserved for months if kept in cool basement-like areas. They are crammed with nutritious goodies like calcium, beta carotene and antioxidants.

For this reason, The Seasoned Gourmet’s Susan Boyles is comfortable serving her Mixed Autumn Squash Soup as a stand-alone meal or a starter during cooler months. The blend of butternut squash, acorn squash, vegetable stock, cream and delicious seasonings makes for a hearty, healthy meal on its own. To top it off, Boyles likes to garnish the soup with a soft crumbling of goat cheese and a sprinkling of nutmeg.

"It’s a luxurious, thick creamy recipe," Boyles says. Although her mother often cooked with squash, it took years for Boyles to fall in love with the taste of raw, or what she calls "naked" squash.

Now, the natural sweetness of the plant — which she equates to the subtle flavor of a sweet potato — is a craving of hers and a must-make/must-have in The Seasoned Gourmet kitchen in Lumina Commons, where she hosts cooking classes and private parties.

Another local chef, Marcus Buric, also attributes his squash cravings to his mother, Nina. The smell of a sizzling spaghetti squash sparks tender moments spent with her in the kitchen. Nina’s German-influenced side dish — a blend of basil, fire-roasted tomato paste, sweet caramelized onions and long yellow spaghetti squash noodles — captured his attention as a child with its warm seasoned smell and bright contrasting colors.

Today, Buric creates a slight variation of that recipe for clients of his catering business, Culinary Creations. Like his mother, he uses a special tomato paste ordered from Germany, but for those who don’t have the special paste, he says store-bought tomato paste mixed with caramelized onions is a workable option.

There are two important things to remember when cooking with squash, Buric says. Number one: Wash your squash. Many cooks seem to forget that it grows on the ground, and your table guests will get a mouthful of grit if it is served unclean. Number two: Don’t overcook it.

"Spaghetti squash is one of those that if you overcook it, it just becomes mush. You really want to have it almost like pasta, a little bit crunchy. That’s the one thing I’ve always loved about the way my mom cooks it, she always does it perfect."

While perfection is a hard-to-reach goal, Chef Beth Flaherty’s pumpkin ravioli recipe comes pretty close. Made with a relatively small two-pound pumpkin or butternut squash, "it’s one of my absolute favorite dishes," Flaherty says. "I think it shows the versatility of what you can do with squashes."

As owner and chef of Coriander’s Fine Foods and Catering, Flaherty has used her pumpkin ravioli recipe as a demo during classes, reminding her students that the dish can serve as the first course of a fancy, decadent dinner, or simply a meal for two.

"The nice thing, too, is that once you make the ravioli, they freeze beautifully. You can make up a whole batch of them and then pull them out when you need them," Flaherty says. Her favorite recipe makes about 35 servings.

Although it’s often served as an entrée or side dish, squash’s subtle sweetness can certainly be appreciated as a dessert, thanks to the finesse of Pine Valley Market’s Christi Ferretti. Her soufflé is a medley of acorn, butternut and buttercup squash, whipped with coconut and cream for a light, delicious, slightly tropical endnote.

But this recipe is just one way of sweetening squash. For a quick weeknight fix, Ferretti also recommends a much simpler Honey Roasted Butternut Squash recipe, which combines the fruit with salt, pepper, canola oil and honey.

"Kids love it," she says. "It’s a great way to get squash in their system, and you can use all-natural or organic honey, too. What I like about the honey is that it caramelizes on the outside, so it gives it a little bit of that "caramelly" flavor and texture, whereas if you don’t do it, it’s just going to be a soft squash. It’s sweetened by itself because of the natural sugars that are in it."