End of the Season Nears
September 24, 2010
Lettuce
Week of September 20, 2010
Dear All,
The countdown is on. After this week’s delivery you will have two more baskets/bags of produce. In some ways the summer seems to have gone rather quickly and in other ways – especially June when we had so much rain – the time seemed to crawl at a snail’s pace.
We had 1.5 inches of rain on Saturday/Sunday. Can you believe how cold it was on those two days? Contrast that with today with 80 degree temperatures and you have an Iowa fall. Last night I made potato soup. Cool weather always ushers in the soup menu. I was thinking about making tomato basil soup but Larry seemed to lean heavily toward potato.
We are picking the tomatoes a little underripe because there seems to be a lot of cracking and some bug infestation. Tomatoes ripen after picked so just put them on your windowsill or counter to complete the ripening.
Some of the green beans have a little dirt, some a few bug nibbles and some have a little bit of rust. I taste them as I am picking and if they taste okay, they go into your basket/bag.
I have lots of basil if anyone is interested in making pesto. Just let me know if you want some extra and we can put it with your order.
As we get into fall I am noticing that some of the produce suffered from the hot spell we had. Some of the eggplant has some hard brown or somewhat burst spots on them. I had some for lunch today and found it to be fine eating. If you get something that isn’t good, please let me know.
This week’s produce:
Radishes
Green onions
Green beans
Tomatoes
Green, red or chocolate sweet peppers
Potatoes
Butternut squash
Acorn squash
Turnips/kale available for those who want them
You will be getting quite a bit of fall and winter squash before the end of the season. Today it will be butternut and acorn.
Cucurbita pepo’s, such as Acorn type, are usually the first to ripen. They are best eaten in the fall. In fact, old timers in Maine referred to acorns as “fall squash,” rather than winter squash. They will taste best if eaten ahead of Christmas.
They’re a good source of iron, riboflavin and vitamins A (more than summer squash) and C.
Classic Baked Acorn Squash
Ingredients
- 1 Acorn squash
- 1 Tbsp Butter
- 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Maple Syrup
- Dash of Salt
Method
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Using a strong chef’s knife, and perhaps a rubber mallet to help, cut the acorn squash in half, lengthwise, from stem to end. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff in the center of each half. Score the insides of each half several times with a sharp knife. Place each half in a baking pan, cut side up. Add about a 1/4 inch of water to the bottom of the baking pan so that the skins don’t burn and the squash doesn’t get dried out.
3. Coat the inside of each half with 1/2 a Tbsp of butter. Add a dash of salt if you are using unsalted butter. Add a Tbsp of brown sugar to the cavity of each half. Dribble on a teaspoon of maple syrup to each half.
4. Bake in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the squash is very soft and the tops are browned. Do not undercook. When finished, remove from oven and let cool a little before serving. Spoon any buttery sugar sauce that has not already been absorbed by the squash over the exposed areas.
Serves 2 to 4, depending on how much squash you like to eat.
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/classic_baked_acorn_squash/
Acorn Squash Storage
Winter squash will last up to a month in a cool (50 to 55 degrees F.) dark cellar or storage area, but only about two weeks in the refrigerator. Ideally, only cut or cooked acorn squash should be refrigerated. They will suffer chill damage at temperatures below 50 degrees F.
Dry hot air will cause loss of moisture, resulting in a shorter shelf life. Squash with a bit of the stem still intact will help slow down moisture loss.
Plan on using acorn squash within two weeks of purchase, since you never know how long it has already been in storage and under what conditions. If you grow your own or get it from your CSA or farmer’s market, you have more control and thus a longer storage time (two to three months). Once cut, wrap raw pieces in plastic wrap, refrigerate, and use within four days.
Cooked acorn squash can be sealed and refrigerated up to four days.
Before freezing, acorn squash must be cooked. Cook squash and remove the pulp from the skin. You can leave it in chunks or mash it. Place in airtight containers and freeze ten to twelve months at 0 degrees F.
The most commonly grown being the Butternuts C. moschata stores the longest, but also tastes pretty good right off the vine. The oranger the color, the riper, drier, and sweeter the squash. Butternut is a common squash used in making soup because it tends not to be stringy.
To Store Winter Squash:
Place whole winter squash on top of thick pads of newspapers in a cool, dry, well-ventilated location, preferably between 45 and 50 degrees F. Check on a regular basis for rot and use within three to six months depending on variety of squash.
Refrigerate tightly wrapped cut pieces of winter squash, such as banana, and use within 5 days.
Once a squash is cooked (by steaming or baking), the flesh of the squash can be stored frozen until needed.
| Garlicky Baked Butternut Squash |
Submitted By: Anita Bukowski Photo By: InTheDesert
|
“The mild garlic flavor in this dish makes for a deliciously different treatment for butternut squash. –Anita Bukowski”
Ingredients:
| 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon salt |
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese |
Directions:
| 1. | In a large bowl, combine the parsley, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add squash and toss to coat. |
| 2. | Transfer to an ungreased shallow 2-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 50-55 minutes or until squash is just tender.
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/garlicky-baked-butternut-squash/Detail.aspx |
| ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2010 Allrecipes.com | Printed from Allrecipes.com 9/20/2010 |
Squash Equivalents::
1/3 to 1/2 pound raw unpeeled squash = 1 serving
1 pound peeled squash = 1 cup cooked, mashed
2-1/2 pounds whole squash = 2-3/4 to 3 cups pureed
1 pound trimmed squash = 2 cups cooked pieces
1 pound squash = 2 to 3 servings
12 ounces frozen squash = 1-1/2 cups
1 medium-size (15 to 20 pounds) pumpkin = 5 to 7 quarts of cooked pumpkin.
As I finish this newsletter, the wind is blowing and the thermometer says 90 degrees! Yikes! Tomorrow rain is forecast with highs in the 70s. Do you think we can keep up with these changes?
Until Next Week…..
Denise
