If you like winter squash than you might want to get in on this seasonal bingo game. You don’t need to be a senior to love Bingo but you do need to love winter squash cause we are going to be eating a lot!

Social media makes it easier than ever to connect with people however, our connections are careening towards divisions and we are losing site of our sense of togetherness. Winter Squash Bingo is a way for us to come together over food and form a community with a modern twist. I know it’s bold to assume that 24 winter squash varieties can bring us together but hey, we gotta start somewhere.

Are you ready to get seasonal? You can download your board right here and cook your way through the season. The game will run throughout the Fall and Winter until all prizes have been claimed or until we reach the spring equinox on March 20th, 2019.

That’s right folks. I said prizes! And there are two ways to win. One way is the traditional Bingo route where you complete a row either across, down or diagonal. The first 5 people to cook-up Winter Squash Bingo this way will win a homemade culinary preserve. (The flavor is a secret but rest assured it’s something unique that you can’t find on any store shelves.) The second way to play is to cook the full Bingo board. I know… That is a LOT of squash but that’s also why this game will last for several months. During that time, if you are the first person to complete the full board you will win a hand carved wooden spoon. That’s worth it right? It’s win-win! Squash-fest and a one-of-a-kind artisan kitchen spoon? Come on now. You know you wanna…;)

As for the RULES you must do the following to be eligible for the prizes:

• Follow @howtofeedasenior on Instagram

• Cook, make, or create recipes/meals utilizing a single winter squash per dish.

• Photograph your squash dish, tag @howtofeedasenior and use the assigned squash hashtag when posting on Instagram.

• Participants should send a Direct Message to @howtofeedasenior when they have achieved Winter Squash Bingo along with a photo of their Bingo board to confirm their prize.

I know not everyone is an Instagram user but unfortunately, that is the only way I am able to verify participation for prizes. That being said, don’t let that keep you from participating on your own way. If Instagram is not your thing, create your own challenge and your own rules with friends, family, colleagues or whomever that’s conducive to your own version of fun. My goal with this game was to create something that could connect us across the backdrop of our differences no matter one’s age, gender, race or region. The regional availability of all these squash varieties will be interesting in an of itself, relative to trade and how agriculture influences our access to nutrition. Are there squash deserts? Are you in one? We’ll explore “together” as we make our way through grocery stores, farmer’s markets, and backyard gardens hunting for the most allusive ones. And in case you’re already lost, you can check-out this a fairly comprehensive guide to winter squash varieties that might be helpful when getting started.

As for full disclosure I will tell you that I am playing this game too! Not for the prizes obviously, but for the sake of curiosity. I personally love the versatility of winter squash and its ability to cross age related dietary concerns. It can be roasted, pureed, baked, you name it! A food for every age. That’s also where the hashtags will be handy. A quick hashtag search will show what others have done with their squash of that same variety, which over time will lend itself to a collection of squash inspirations. This again will help aid that sense of community as together we can help each other cook, make and create recipes in an effort to come together around the thing that’s been proven time and time again. Food!

So… Game on!

And don’t forget your Winter Squash Bingo board.