Attack of the Butternut Squash!

Today I thought I'd share a random, but very useful fact if you are a butternut squash connoisseur.


* There is such a thing as Butternut Squash Dermatitis.*
Seriously, google it if you don't believe me! Some people can have allergic reactions to the raw BN squash juices when they come in contact with your skin.

How do I know this? Come on, can't you guess?

Yeah, so I was cutting up 4lbs of BN squash last night and after I was done I noticed my hands felt kind of funny. My skin felt really tight and tingly, and it sort of burned. They looked all orange and shiny, so I washed them again... and again... and again! No matter how hard I scrubbed, my hands just wouldn't go back to normal. This morning I woke up to what looked like dried Elmers glue on my palms... you know, how it cracks and peels off? Yeah, like that. When I was a kid I would have thought that looked cool, but this morning it was oh-so-painful and anything BUT cool!

After a few hours of slathering lotion on at work and hoping it would go away, I got frustrated and goggled "butternut squash rash" (ha!) and actually found tons of info! Who would have thought you could get a rash from peeling squash?!?! So now I know to wear gloves next time... sheesh.

PS> If this ever happens to you, DO NOT wash your hands 50,000 times like I did, it only makes it worse. Cortisone cream helps... a bit, but mostly it just hurts/burns like hades for a while... I'm hoping tomorrow will be better. *sigh* Oh well, at least my soup turned out really really yummy! :)