ENJOYING WINTER SQUASH
By Frank Branham
I love the beauty of
autumn in Flagstaff, but I am always sad to see the end of fresh summer
vegetables from my garden. Now that fall is here it is time to start enjoying
this year’s winter squash. Pumpkins have become a symbol of fall, but acorn,
spaghetti, and butternut squash offer a great variety of flavors.
Most winter squash grow
very well in our climate. It's best to start them indoors in late May and move
them outside in the middle of June so they have the maximum growing season.
Each plant needs a bed of well-amended soil about the size of a bushel basket,
which gives them enough room for their roots. These massive plants flourish
with huge leaves, long vines, and copious yellow flowers. For a special treat male
blossoms can be stuffed and fried. Be sure to leave enough male blossoms to
pollinate the female flowers that appear on the tiny new squash. The winter
squash will grow and mature just in time for the first light frost to give them
a hint of sweetness. Once harvested the squash should be cured in a sunny
window for two weeks then moved to a cool dry place for up to nine months.
Most winter squash
recipes start with splitting them in half, scooping out the seeds and roasting
until tender. Spaghetti squash has a mild savory flavor and the cooked flesh
easily shreds into pasta like strands. To maintain the texture of those strands
it is best to bake spaghetti squash with the cut side down on a cookie sheet
with a little water. Cook for about thirty minutes or until soft. Scoop out the bright yellow flesh and shred
it with your hands or a fork. To make Spaghetti Squash Pomodoro sauté these al
dente strands with olive oil, garlic, tomatoes and fresh chopped basil. Toss
with fresh Parmesan Cheese before serving. For a quick side dish sauté the
strands with butter, salt, pepper and a hint of nutmeg.
Acorn squash, which
have a sweet, nutty flavor, are relatively small so you can serve a roasted half
squash. Filling acorn squash with a Thanksgiving style bread stuffing makes an
interesting entrée. Each bite combines a little squash with the stuffing. As an alternative a smaller wedge can be
roasted with brown sugar and butter as a side dish.
Link to: Pumpkin cheesecake recipe
Link to: Winter squash soup recipe
When I owned the Cottage
Place Restaurant our most popular soup was a creamy Winter Squash Velouté
flavored with apples, curry powder, chipotle and fall spices. There is a recipe
for this soup featuring butternut squash at the Coconino Master Gardener blog, coconinomgassociation.blogspot.com.
(Go part way down the blog page and click the “recipe” link.) It will also give you a way to use some of our
local apples.
Pumpkins are associated
with many fall desserts, like the traditional pumpkin pie. Many varieties of
pumpkins do well in Flagstaff. For years I have been growing a hybrid called a
French Pumpkin. Since it is only mildly sweet I puree it with brown sugar for
desserts. My favorite fall dessert is Pumpkin Cheesecake made with cinnamon,
nutmeg and a hazelnut crust. This recipe is also posted at coconinomgassociation.blogspot.com.
Try different winter
squash this season and next summer plant the ones you prefer. After
writing and doing the research for this article I have decided to plant more
spaghetti squash next year along with my French Pumpkin. Seeds for many winter
squash are available at the Grow Flagstaff! Seed Library at the Coconino County
Extension Office.
Enjoy being creative
with this healthy fall vegetable.
Frank
Branham is a Coconino Master Gardener and retired chef.
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