Winter Squash

With huge pumpkins and cushaw squash, plus a variety of smaller winter squash varieties in our CSA shares this past month we’re feeling, shall we say, the ‘weight’ of our CSA membership. Getting through a CSA share each week takes a lot of dedication even in the best of times, but some seasons can be especially challenging. Right now, we’re facing a delay on many of our winter season crops as farmers were unable to plant, or suffered setbacks, during our unusually hot and unpleasant October (greens and root veggies just don’t like the heat!). In times like this, our CSA shares offer us a chance to reflect on and connect with the natural world around us, where we are in the yearly cycle and what we look forward to next.

Having a number of different producers now has allowed us to diversify shares, and items like winter squash are helping us fill in gaps for the time being. Luckily winter squash can last a long time, plus they don’t take up room in the fridge! You can wait a while to prepare them, just remember that bigger varieties tend to last longer than smaller ones. Getting into the squash can be the biggest hurdle. If they seem intimidating, large varieties, like cushaw, can be dropped (thrown) on the ground to crack open. Once they are cracked a knife can be inserted to wedge them open. Smaller varieties can still be tough to get into if you don’t trust your knife/knife skills. Pre-baking for about ten minutes at 350 degrees should soften the squash enough to make cutting easier.

Once you have the motivation/time to tackle them, there are innumerable ways to prepare them. Besides the obvious breads, pies and soups you can use these squash almost anywhere you would use a sweet potato or carrot. Add diced squash to stews or curries or stuff into empanadas or enchiladas. Pureed squash can become a pasta sauce, filling (ravioli) or layer (lasagna) or a pizza sauce. The puree can also be used in a variety of sweet and savory baked goods like biscuits, cheesecake or strudel. Sliced into wedges (you can eat the skin of kabocha, dumpling, acorn and delicata squash) and roasted they will be the star of a grain bowl or a delicious side dish. Try serving roasted squash with a chimichurri sauce, tahini garlic sauce or a sprinkling of zatar spice blend. Crumbled feta along with balsamic vinegar, pomegranate molasses or tamarind chutney makes a great combo for topping roasted squash too.