The Squash Is In. Let's Make It Last!

Late October, when the squash comes in heavy and the first frost is either here or close. As we look around our neighborhoods we see winter squash and pie pumpkins piled on porches and in market crates, let's help them last past Thanksgiving.

Squash is one of the few crops that asks you to wait. Curing takes 10 to 14 days, and the DIY root cellar should be checked in monthly. Patience connects to the old practice of storing food for winter, eating seasonally through the cold months, and wasting less of what local farmers grow. Our Boulder County farmers experienced one of the most challenging seasons to date. Storing the harvest, honors their work and reminds us where our food came from.

Let's put it away - Curing and a DIY Root Cellar. You can create a DIY Root Cellar with a tub a sand to preserve carrots, beets, turnips, and parsnips (to name a few). Curing is new to me, personally, but is seems simple, but requires patience. However the result is an intact squash to add to soups and stews until spring.

Let's put is to use - Pumpkin Pucks and Pumpkin Butter. Shifting to our kitchens, these pucks are the practical, freezer friendly move for busy weeknights, and the butter is the treat that can be added to oatmeal or porridge. Personally, my favorite is to combine 1/2 Cup with mascarpone cheese as a spread for fresh bread.

Visit us on December 6 at the BCFM Winter Market for the 2nd annual Quickles Celebration!