Squash Deliciousness: Eat ‘Em Up!

Every year we endeavor to grow the tastiest and most unique squash for our CSA members. Sometimes they are big – like last year’s epic Blue Hubbards. And sometimes they are small, like this year’s diminutive Red Kuri Kabochas. But all are giants when it comes to flavor. Nevertheless, we inevitably hear from a few folks in November or December that they still have a lumpy fruit on their pantry floor, or they used one of our pumpkins for a Halloween decoration and then threw it, soft and collapsed, into the compost pile. Horrors! People – Halloween is over and it is time to EAT those squash. If you left one or two outside for decorations, they’ve likely been damaged by the cold, but you can still eat them if just the flesh is blemished. If you’ve got them stored inside, they’ll probably keep for you ’til Thanksgiving. Either way, here are a few more recipes to provide inspiration for your squash-cooking endeavors:

To get a squash or pumpkin ready to use in most recipes, you will need to create a puree. Couldn’t be easier, though. And you’ll warm your house up at the same time. Simply wash the skin well, cut the fruit in half, scoop out the seeds (roast them!), then put the halves cut-side-up in a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Roast in the oven at 350 degrees until fork-tender. Allow to cool, then scoop the soft flesh out. I use it just like this, but if you want to be sure of a smooth puree, simply squish thoroughly with a potato masher, or whip in your mixer/food processor/blender-type machine. Still not convinced? See this picture.