Candy has ruined October. Instead of anticipating the month’s harvest, most people focus on the annual candy-corn-and-mini-Snickers binge that comes with Halloween. That’s a shame, since there’s a much healthier way to treat your sweet tooth: by cooking up some succulent seasonal squash.

A rainbow of squash—hunter green, peachy tan, tangerine, jade, and buttercream—is available at most markets and is a good source of key nutrients like beta-carotene, vitamins A and C, potassium, and fiber. Winter squash, the tougher-skinned sister to summer squash like zucchini, is harvested in September and October and can keep through January. No matter its variety, a good winter squash should feel heavy for its size and be free from any cuts, breaks, or soft spots. To make sure your squash is as tasty on New Year’s Day as it is on Halloween, store it in a dry room cooled to about 40 or 50 degrees. “Traditionally, people would store [squash] in their old farmhouse in the bedroom. People would keep them under the bed. Those conditions are best for squash,” says Ryan Voiland, owner of Red Fire Farm in Granby, Mass., who has been growing squash for decades. The condition of the squash is also an important factor in how well it stores. “Unless you want to eat it right away, you don’t want any nicks,” Voiland says.

Before you head to your local market to shop for squash, note that there are differences among varieties. “There are probably hundreds, or more than hundreds, of different varieties of squash,” says Voiland. “Different varieties have different characteristics. Some are moister. I’d consider the butternut to be a very moist squash. Other varieties are drier. The kabocha is dry and almost flaky inside.” If you’ve tried squash before and didn’t like the taste, consider purchasing from a different seller. According to Voiland, winter squash’s sweetness varies from farm to farm, hinging on the gourd’s level of curing. Curing, the process of storing just-picked squash for a couple of weeks in a dry, warm environment, can cause some varieties (except for acorn, sweet dumpling, and delicata squash) to become sweeter.

It’ll take a bit of taste testing to determine if you’re partial to one squash over another, but the seven following varieties are widely available and worth trying ...