Squash-ingly Delicious
Squash-ingly Delicious
Winter squash is actually a fruit as they contain seeds, however, they are considered a vegetable for culinary and growing purposes. Pumpkin is said to be a kind of squash as they are cucurbits belonging to this climbing plant family which also include; gourds, cucumbers, watermelons & musk melons. There are said to be hundreds… Read More »
Winter squash is actually a fruit as they contain seeds, however, they are considered a vegetable for culinary and growing purposes. Pumpkin is said to be a kind of squash as they are cucurbits belonging to this climbing plant family which also include; gourds, cucumbers, watermelons & musk melons. There are said to be hundreds of varieties of edible squash and pumpkins and we grow a very wide variety on our farm including; Acorn, Butternut, Pumpkin, Spaghetti, Delicata, Buttercup, Kabocha, Red Kabocha, Carnival, Sweet Dumpling and Blue Hubbard.
Planted late May and then harvested in Autumn, Winter Squash has a long growing season. Along with the long growing season, squash tend to have a long shelf life and can be stored in a cool dark place for several months. It is recommended that you cure them out in the sunshine before storing for longer periods of time to eliminate potential moisture that may cause rot. Unlike summer squash that can be harvested when young and tender, winter squash is harvested when the plant is fully mature with hard skins and when the vines and leaves of the plant are visibly dried out.
Squash plants have imperfect flowers meaning they have separate male and
female flowers. Male flowers appear first and the female flowers tend to follow. In order for these flowers to bear fruit, pollen must be transferred to the flowers by bees and other pollinators such as butterflies, birds & small insects. We have several cooks and connoisseurs who special order our squash blossoms in the summer as they are considered a delicacy and a specialty in restaurants and certain cuisine.
Squash can be steamed, pressure cooked, roasted, sautéed, grilled, stuffed, sliced, mashed cubed and grated. The possibilities are endless and we encourage you to try new ways of cooking our homegrown squash while in season this Fall. Our culinary specialist, Miss Jenn, has created a wholesome stuffed acorn squash recipe perfect for meatless Monday or any day of the week. Find the recipe here. Follow along and eat in season with us!
As always, best wishes from our farm kitchen to yours!
