I pulled up most of the squash vines even though we haven’t had a killing frost yet. Or any frost. The mild weather makes me uneasy as it brings global warming home to my yard and garden.
I think I’ve had more squash in past years. This year we got a lot of rain. I wonder if that made a difference. Four pumpkins (New England Pie) from the Community Garden, and two from home (Winter Luxury, I think). There are several more pumpkins in the home garden that have not turned orange yet. What are they waiting for?
Some nice buttercup, very substantial. And a few Red Kuri, so bright and shapely. The delicata and butternut harvests were definitely sparse. Not that I’m wishing for tons of squash like I had cucumbers. But the productivity of the garden plants is something to ponder.
I posted on social media about having extra squash at the end of the year and requested recipes to use up squash. Eleanor sent one that was perfect. The recipe called for butternut squash, but I used a small butternut and a small red kuri. We polished this off in one meal – no leftovers, unfortunately. The kale came from the hoophouse, where it is growing like a champ.
Here’s the recipe. I didn’t use oil and the squash roasted just fine. I also didn’t have the fancy additions, so I just added some currants. The amounts for the dressing make quite a lot, so I mostly halved it.
Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad with Kale and Cider Dijon Dressing
Ingredients: FOR THE SQUASH: 4 cups cubed butternut squash (1/2 inch pieces) 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander 3/4 teaspoon cumin 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon cayenne FOR THE SALAD DRESSING: 1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons honey 1/4 cup cider vinegar 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (strained to catch the seeds) 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup olive oil FOR THE SALAD: 1 bunch lacinato kale, stripped off stems, rinsed and patted dry 4 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup dry) 1/3 cup roasted pumpkin (pepita) seeds 1/4 cup dried cranberries 1/4 cup golden raisins Salt and pepper to taste
Directions: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Toss the cubed butternut squash in the oil, sugar, paprika, salt, coriander, cumin, black pepper, nutmeg and cayenne. Spread out evenly onto a rimmed sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes. No need to toss, just rotate the pan halfway through. Meanwhile make the dressing. In a glass jar combine the mustard, honey, vinegars, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add in the oil, secure the lid and shake well. In a large salad bowl add the chopped kale, cooked (warm) quinoa, roasted butternut squash, pepitas, dried cranberries and raisins. Season with a pinch or two of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle with 1/4 cup of the dressing or more to taste. Serve warm.
If you were starting new food traditions, what should be served on Easter? Lamb and ham are totally out, as vegans. And in a pandemic, not sure an extra trip to the store is warranted. I should be trying to eat what I grow, right? So one of these four beautiful squash is headed for the chopping block. And this should be the same every year.
I chose the largest Red Kuri for our Easter meal. We also had an arugula salad, a sort of dip made from frozen peas and fava beans, and a chocolate freezer pie (with squash as a prime ingredient). Felt very virtuous – and tasty actually. Jeff came over for a small dinner party.
Sam is stuffing the pre-roasted Red Kuri with a mixture of quinoa, shiitake mushrooms, dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, and flavorings.
I used my spiffy new pack basket to bring in all the remaining green tomatoes with a cold night forecasted. Trough of greenSquash vine ran all the way across the top of the chicken runBaby squash, too late for themFall pea flower with red clover in the backgroundGrape leaves in autumn sun
I pulled several Red Kuri squash down from the heights of their trellis along the chicken run. Their color is amazing.
Then I walked to the community garden and pulled some great big Napoli carrots. Back at home, I harvested some stunted carrots from under the corner trellis. It’s not a very good place to plant things – too much shade during peak summer growing season. Only the kale has really done well under there.
An early frost this year. Three nights in a row. A light frost that barely affected our remaining veggies in the home garden. But I thought it was time to harvest the squash at the community garden. Here they are, looking good!
Plot at Community Garden, covered with squash vines
I love this photo although it’s a bit fuzzy. The evening light, the barn next door, the trail head and surrounding forest. The echinacea glowing pink at the left edge and the pile of wood chips at the right edge. Most of all, the happy squash plants.
I really struggled to nurture these plants through serious transplant shock and then countering a squash beetle threat. I tried row covers, but found eggs on the plants that were under cover! So off came the covers. I then inspected the back of each leaf daily for a few weeks, tearing off the part of the leaf where eggs were laid. Not a single beetle on my adult plants. And they are growing like crazy! Some plants didn’t make it of course, but the others are just enjoying the extra room.
Growing squash is always fun because you don’t know what you’ve got under there until the foliage starts to die away. But I know I have at least a few butternut squash and a few pumpkins. I haven’t successfully grown butternut squash for a few years so this crop is especially sweet. On the other hand, my delicata and hubbard squash crops were a miserable failure this year, so there’s always some balance to contemplate.
Squash heading up and over the chicken run. We stapled some chicken wire to sticks to give it something to climb on. Peas growing exuberantly toward the sky. Scarlet runner beans, favorite of hummingbirdsGreen bean tendril has reached the top of the corner trellisGreen bean flower is a pretty pink.
I put the squash plants in at the community garden. Planting is done there! Now I’m waiting for the plants to do their thing while I nurture them as best I can.
Three rows of squash Too small to see, but leeks are in the trench and Cippollini onions are to the left of the trenchSix rows of onion plants, one row of shallots
There’s also a nice perennial sunflower and echinacea plants, not in bloom yet.
