Had your fill of the ever-plentiful zucchini and yellow squashes? Then try another, perhaps lesser-known variety.

The chayote (pronounced "chi-Oh-tay") differs from its summer siblings because of its large central seed and a somewhat thick, deeply ridged skin. It takes longer to cook, too.

A chayote looks kind of like a pattypan squash. It's usually about the size and shape of a large pear - in fact, it's sometimes called a vegetable pear - and it has a pale green skin with white flesh. Other names the chayote goes by include mirliton and christophene.

One cup of boiled or steamed unseasoned chayote squash contains just 38 calories, 1 gram protein, 1 gram fat, 8 grams carbohydrate, 21 milligrams calcium, 1 milligram sodium and 1 milligram dietary fiber. The squash is a great source of potassium (276 milligrams per cup) and has some vitamin C, too. Chayotes are cholesterol-free. - ----- Tv Fn demonstrations always 1) peel, and 2) wash well. The squash feels sticky after it is peeled. Feniger of "Too Hot Tamales" makes "rinsing the skin" a "gotta to it" issue.

Fruit - - MasterCook [patH 01Se96]

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