ST. LOUIS — Early on, I knew that it was going to be an all-squash kind of day.

For a quick breakfast before taking to the road, I'd grabbed a slice of homemade corn bread from the refrigerator. But this wasn't just any corn bread. I'd made it the day before with fresh corn kernels plus cornmeal, sour cream, green onions, sharp Cheddar, jalapeno peppers and, oh, yes, a healthy dose of grated zucchini from the summer's harvest.

I had tried this recipe as soon as I'd seen it in galleys from a soon-to-be-published book, "The Compleat Squash: A Passionate Grower's Guide to Pumpkins, Squash, and Gourds," by Amy Goldman (Artisan, 214 pages, $40).

Goldman had written a similar, exquisitely beautiful book on melons two years earlier. When a publicist offered the galleys for "Squash," I bit.

I was especially intrigued to learn that the New York author was launching her national book tour Oct. 9 at The Great Pumpkin Patch, the squash and pumpkin farm operated for five generations by the Condill family of Arthur, Ill.

This farm grows one of the biggest collections of members of the Cucurbitaceae family (squash, pumpkins, melons and gourds) in the country, perhaps the world. The Condills just sent 190 varieties to Pennsylvania's Longwood Gardens for a fall display.

I couldn't think of a better way to spend a sunny, cool Friday in September than to motor 150 miles northeast into Amish country to see what new and old edibles the Condills are growing.

Mac Condill met me in "the patch." That's what he calls a large, immaculate barnyard array of bins, sculptures and other fanciful displays bearing blue squash with roots in Australia, almost-black pumpkins from Japan and hundreds of yellow, orange and green cucurbits, many of them native to the Americas.

It's fair to say that most of them are not often eaten here, however.

Other gourmet food and cooking methods may be taking over American kitchens, but canned pumpkin still rules at pie-baking and holiday time. For years, in fact, we've been told that the best-tasting pumpkin comes from cans. Now, we're learning, this is not at all true.

Condill — along with his wife, Ginny; his brothers, Kit and Buck; their father, Bruce; their mother, Mary Beth; and assorted other relatives and friends — hopes to reinforce the idea.

Take one of author Amy Goldman's favorite heirloom pumpkins, for instance, called ‘Winter Luxury Pie.' It is a beautiful round, little pumpkin — 6 to 8 pounds — with thick, orange-hued flesh that's perfect for baking. It was introduced in 1893 in a lighter-yellow incarnation. And it is found for sale these days at the Condill farm and, as seeds, in some of the more progressive seed catalogs and on related Web sites.

"People are asking more and more, ‘What does it taste like?"‘ Condill says. This one, he adds, "has fantastic flavor."

But so does the equally small and round pumpkin called ‘Triple Treat,' he says, named for its threefold offerings of: (1) easy-to-eat, thin-hulled seeds; (2) "super-tasting" flesh for baking and (3) "great keeping," for months of storage.

Then, there is ‘Tetsukabuto,' popular in Japan, small and round with warty green-black skin. Bake it and sample some of its sweet, nutty yellow flesh, Condill says, and, "Oh, my gosh, it's the only thing you'll want to eat."

He is quite the promoter, guiding customers to the "Sweet Shop" for pumpkin ice cream one moment (that was lunch for me) and the next moment selling the dark-green ‘Burgess Buttercup' squash that was developed in North Dakota in the 1920s to take the place of sweet potatoes in northern gardens.

"My Dad loves ‘Sweet Dumpling' squash," he continues, selling all the way. The striped green-and-yellow-ribbed exterior of this 1-pound squash conceals excellent flavor, he says. His wife, Ginny, likes the quick meal that she can make with a spaghetti squash called ‘Hi-Beta Gold.' And she's looking forward to microwaving new, small ‘Sweet Lightning' squashes (with holes poked first for releasing steam).

For his part, Condill first studied squash and other horticultural subjects in his family's native Scotland. His mother's folks came to this country as McDonalds in 1748, he says, and they did, indeed, have a farm. The young Condill also learned about squash and pumpkins in South Africa and India.

"We want to educate," he says. "That's one of our missions, to really push the healthiness of it and just the whole diversity theme." He and Kit have spent hours with foot-tall stacks of seed sources from the United States and around the world. And this fall, Kit and his wife, Emily, will issue their second annual "Revolution Seeds" catalog of pumpkin, squash and gourd seeds (go to www.walkinginplace.org/seeds for more information). They note in the catalog that the terms "squash" vs. "pumpkin" are not so meaningful in the world of horticulture.

The assigning of varieties to one category or another is arbitrary. Some squash make perfectly good pies and some pumpkins may be eaten with entrees, just as squash traditionally are.

And that leads me to my last meal of the day.

Back home in St. Louis after hours on the road, I pierced holes in two small pumpkins and popped them in the oven for an hour while I did other chores. When I got back to them, it took just a few minutes to pan roast scallops, make a quick sauce and serve it all on top of a little fresh ‘Triple Treat' pumpkin puree from the Condill farm.

For more information on the farm's produce, activities, costs and hours, call 1-217-543-2394. In addition, you may be able to find unusual or heirloom varieties of squash at farmers markets, specialty grocers and even some supermarkets.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 pumpkin or squash

• Vegetable oil, optional

• Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Halve the pumpkin or squash, scoop out and pick through the seeds, and remove the stringy fibers. Rinse the seeds with water in a colander; shake and blot them with paper towels to remove excess moisture and any stringy residue.

Spread the seeds on a baking sheet and toss with a little vegetable oil and kosher salt. Roast, stirring occasionally, until lightly colored, 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the seed and the thickness of the hull. Let cool before snacking. Pumpkin seeds are at their best soon after roasting.

Note: The yield can vary widely, depending on the variety. All squash seeds are edible. The next time you're cooking with squash or pumpkin, try saving the seeds and roasting them. Even acorn squash seeds and those from mature summer crooknecks, though small, are delectable.

Source: Adapted from "The Compleat Squash: A Passionate Grower's Guide to Pumpkins, Squash, and Gourds."

New England Pumpkin Puree With Pan-Roasted Sea Scallops

For the puree

1 small pumpkin, quartered and seeded, or 2 butternut squash, halved (about 2 pounds total)

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon kosher salt

• Freshly ground pepper

For beurre blanc

1 tablespoon chopped shallots

3 tablespoons dry white wine

¼ cup clam juice

2 tablespoons water

4 tablespoons (½ stick) cold butter, cut into chunks

1/8 teaspoon salt

• Freshly ground pepper

For scallops

3 tablespoons butter

1½ pounds sea scallops, muscle removed

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

• Freshly ground pepper

To assemble

2 plum tomatoes, finely diced

• Leaves from 6 sprigs thyme

3 tablespoons minced chives

To prepare puree: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the pumpkin on a baking sheet; roast until very soft, 1 to 1½ hours. Peel pumpkin; puree in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in the butter, salt and pepper. Keep warm, covered, in a low oven, or reheat later in a microwave. (Makes 3 cups puree).

To prepare beurre blanc: Combine shallots, wine, clam juice and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Boil until reduced by two-thirds, about 5 minutes. Stir in the butter; season with salt and pepper to taste.

To prepare scallops: In a large pan over medium-high heat, cook the butter until brown. Add the scallops; cook until golden brown, turning once, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble: Divide the warm pumpkin puree among 4 bowls; top each with scallops. Spoon the sauce over, and sprinkle with tomatoes, thyme and chives.

Yields 4 servings.

Source: Adapted from "The Greenmarket Cookbook: Recipes, Tips, and Lore from the World Famous Urban Farmers' Market," by Joel Patraker and Joan Schwartz.

Homemade Puree

1 (about 5-pound) whole pumpkin or squash (see note)

• Water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a heavy knife, pierce the pumpkin or squash several times (to let steam escape as it cooks), or cut in half or in quarters and place on a baking sheet, cut side down. Bake until the flesh is easily pierced by a knife, about 1 hour (the time will vary according to the size of the squash). A rule of thumb is that it's done when it browns and "starts to slump" on the baking sheet. Discard the seeds or roast them (see recipe). Scoop the flesh from the rind and puree in a blender, adding water if necessary.

Use immediately or freeze in 2-cup portions; each portion will be enough for one pie.

Note: Big, thin-fleshed jack-o'-lantern pumpkins are great for ornament and generally poor for cooking. Cooks should go for smaller pumpkin varieties that have been bred to have thick, flavorful flesh.

Yields 2½ pounds (4 cups) puree.

Source: Adapted from "The Compleat Squash: A Passionate Grower's Guide to Pumpkins, Squash, and Gourds," by Amy Goldman.

Chewy Pumpkin Bars With Caramel Drizzle

For bars

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus more to prepare pan

2 cups all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1¼ cups packed dark-brown sugar

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 large eggs

1 cup raisins or dried cranberries

For caramel drizzle

¼ cup ( ½ stick) unsalted butter

1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sifted powdered sugar (sift before measuring) or as needed

3 tablespoons half-and-half or as needed

To prepare bars: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 15-by-10-inch baking pan; line it with parchment paper. Butter the parchment.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves in a large bowl.

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer on medium speed. Blend in the pumpkin puree and then the eggs, one at a time. Slowly add the dry ingredients and the raisins, beating until just blended. Spread the batter thinly in the prepared pan; bake until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let cool completely.

To prepare the drizzle: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add brown sugar; stir until it dissolves. Whisk in vanilla, powdered sugar and half-and-half. Add a little more half-and-half if the consistency is too thick; if it is too thin, add more powdered sugar.

Drizzle the caramel in a diagonal plaid pattern over the cooled pumpkin bars. Cut into 3-by-1-inch bars. Serve or store in a cookie tin, separating the layers with parchment paper or waxed paper. These bars can be frozen for up to 6 months.

Yields 3 dozen.

Per serving: 132 calories; 4.5g fat (31 percent calories from fat); 2.5g saturated fat; 24mg cholesterol; 1.5g protein; 22g carbohydrate; 13g sugar; 0.5g fiber; 94mg sodium; 28mg calcium; 91mg Source: Adapted from "The Compleat Squash: A Passionate Grower's Guide to Pumpkins, Squash, and Gourds."