Winter Squash: Not Just Another Halloween Decoration!!

One of my favorite things about Fall is the delicious produce that is in season...broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts (not everyone's favorite, but I did say my favorite things), and winter squash.  A few weeks ago, Michael's dad asked whether he was growing "gourds," to which Michael responded "yup" and to which I interjected a resounding "no!"  I knew his dad meant the decorative (even with their weirdly pimpled rinds) variety that sit in kitchen table centerpieces and doorstoops across the country from late September until Thanksgiving...whereas I knew Michael was responding yes because he understood the question to encompass Winter Squash. 

What is Winter Squash?? There are a lot of varieties of Winter Squash out there, but I am sure you are mainly interested in One Acre Farm's varieties...this year we have Butternut (great for soups and roasting), Acorn Squash (can we say butter and brown sugar....YUM!), and my personal favorite Spaghetti Squash (cook until done, fork up the stringy noodles and serve with your favorite tomato sauce for a great vegetarian meal)!  How can you not be excited for the next few weeks' distributions?!?!?

What most people don't necessarily know about Winter Squash is that a cup of cooked squash provides great nutritional value.  According to the world's healthiest foods website, http://www.whfoods.com/, winter squash provides the following nutritional benefits:

• 25% of your dietary fiber requirements;
• 145% of your daily value of Vitamin A;
• 33% of your daily value of Vitamin C;
• 25% of your daily value of Potassium; and,
• Winter Squash is also rich in beta-carotene, which is a great antioxidant.

Michael reports that the Farm's squash is a little unripe because the plants that bear the fruit have fallen prey to a disease (I am pretty sure that bugs -- stink, bed, or otherwise -- will continue their reign of terror for months to come).  So, while the "fruit" has grown to ample size, the plant has cut off nutrients that continue the ripening process.  Our Potomac members (who received squash last week) reported that the squash was delicious.  Michael, however, suggests that you may need to cook it longer to ensure it is nice and soft and possibly add additional (or more) seasonings if you find that the squash a little bland.  We made Acorn Squash the other night and I did not notice a marked difference in the taste from last year's harvest, so for now, I am going to chalk Michael's suggestions up to his usual nerves associated with the fear of never being able to please everybody.   Please feel free to let us know if you have any recipes or cooking suggestions.  Here are two recipes for this week!

A recipe from one of our Potomac members, Louise, is as follows:

2 Acorn Squash (cut in half, seeded and sliced into about 8 wedges for each squash)

Leaving the skin on, place in a greased casserole dish in a single layer

Sprinkle the squash with salt and drizzle with maple syrup

Cover the dish with foil at 350 degrees until soft; probably around 30 to 40 minutes

Enjoy!

Roasted Root Vegetables
Note:  I wish I could take credit for this recipe...I did bring it to my family's Christmas dinner (where we have eaten the same staples every year since I was practically born...what can I say, we are rich in tradition) and now, my brother begs for it every year.  I think I got the recipe from Cooking Light or the Simply Recipes website, but I cannot locate the exact recipe.  The way I make it, however, is not a "hard-and-fast" recipe.  I usually adjust the amount of each vegetable used based on the number of people I am serving and to ensure a nice variety of colors.  Also, make sure you try to cut the different root vegetables in similar-sized pieces so they cook consistently.  I think the original recipe called for fennel (blech! no offense, fennel, and your fans), so feel free to substitute vegetables for what I've identified below.  And, of course, ENJOY!

1 Butternut Squash (peeled, seeded and cut in cubes)
Handful of parsnips (peeled and cut)
Handful of turnips (peeled and cut)
Handful of carrots (peeled and cut)
A few sweet potatoes (peeled and cut in cubes)
A few small red potatoes (cut in cubes, leave skins on)
Head of garlic (use whole cloves, do not chop, mince or otherwise) OR Shallots, halved

Fresh Thyme
1/4 cup Honey
Salt
Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Combine the Honey, Olive Oil and Thyme; Toss all vegetables in the Honey Mixture.  Spray a casserole dish (or shallow baking dish) with cooking spray.  Spread vegetables in single layer (as best you can) and bake for 35 minutes or until all vegetables are tender and slightly browned.  Stir/mix the vegetables occasionally throughout the baking process.

Until next time...

The "To Refrigerate or Not Refrigerate" Mystery Solved!!

First, I want to apologize for the lag in posts.  My late summer months flew by, with an insane work schedule and my brother's wedding (destination: MIA) this past week/weekend.  I hope to get back to a regular posting schedule, hopefully on Wednesday evenings, and promise to post more than the hokey game or two (which I realize have been the subjects of my last few posts).  I hope to keep posting with more information about the goings-on at the Farm in order to give you a better glimpse into the trials and tribulations of being a small Farm owner...so, check back later in the week for a more Farm-inspired post...but for today, I am leaving you with the long awaited answers to the Refrigerate "game."

Jill, I have to admit that you are correct, based on how the grocery store groups its produce is certainly not random. So, why, then when we get our beautiful tomatoes home, do we refrigerate them?  This (I guess) is okay when you have store-bought tomatoes, which are picked on the vine when they are still green (and which have harder, thicker skins to withstand coast-to-coast delivery).  But, when you have vine-ripe tomatoes, you typically ruin them by putting them in the refrigerator.  The cool, damp refrigerator reduces the flavor, causes mushiness, and in my humble opinion, dries out an otherwise perfectly plush flesh.  If you are going to store your tomatoes for less than a week, then the countertop or windowsill is perfectly fine.  If you plan to store them for more than a week (One Acre Farm's tomatoes are so vine-ripe that if you wait a week to eat them, they may have passed their prime...and who are we kidding, they don't last more than a day or two in my house because they are so fresh that I can eat them plain!), then find a cool, dark place (pantry shelf), or the refrigerator at last resort!

Likewise, potatoes and onions should be stored in a cool, dry place.  Good ventilation is also important.  I have seen baskets in cabinets (or the pantry), but paper bags (reduce, reuse, recycle!) should work just as well.  If the potatoes are kept at a temperature below 40 degrees (F), they develop a sweet taste because the starch turns to sugar.  (I googled it!)  The dark place is key because lengthy exposure to light causes the potatoes to turn green and taste bitter.  Don't throw away your potatoes if they begin to sprout...just trim off the sprouts and enjoy!  At first, I thought Michael was nuts at suggesting this, but I don't want to waste his hard-work, so I have converted into a sprout-cutter, and trust me, they taste just fine!

Now for the basil.  I tend to wrap my basil in a paper towel and store in the refrigerator.  A website that I found recommends layering the basil in damp paper towels in the refrigerator for up to four days.  I also read in the Post (I think it was a Hint from Heloise!!) that all herbs -- including basil -- should be treated like fresh flowers: trim the ends and store in a glass with some water.  Unlike flowers, however, cover the top of the glass (and the herbs) with a plastic bag.  Change the water frequently (this same website says every day).  This will extend the "shelf-life" of your herbs!  For those of you who were encouraged about my pesto tip, I have read a little more into it and it appears that you should do make the basil and oil into a paste and freeze that; don't add the pine nuts, garlic and Parmesan cheese until you are ready to use the paste.

I hope this has been somewhat informative (although, I suppose it is a little "elementary" because I found most of the answers by googling storage tips and information) and I am in no way claiming to be an expert in food storage principles (the lawyer in me comes out!).  If you have any other storage techniques or tips, feel free to share them!