I tackled about half of the butternut squash from the 2012 garden this afternoon. It's still good, but beginning to deteriorate in quality. The centers are getting a bit spongy.
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I cut them into chunks and removed the seeds and spongy flesh, then poured about an inch of water in the bottom of the roaster, covered it tightly with foil and baked them at 350F for just over an hour. Some of the top pieces weren't quite done, so I finished them off in the microwave. Can you spot my Halloween "squash o' lanterns"?
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I scooped the flesh away from the rind and whipped it up fairly smooth with the electric mixer.
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Today's batch gave me 6 pounds 12 ounces of delicious squash puree for the freezer.
Oh yum! I love having things in the freezer ready to go for a quick meal.
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PPCrocodile, the problem being there still isn't much room in my freezers! I still have a lot in there from last year's garden. My husband never wants to see another green bean ;-)
DeleteI did see squash o' lanterns..lol I hope my squash turn out this year so I can do this!!
ReplyDeleteMrs. P., I used those last few squash that weren't quite ripe to make the squash o'lanterns. I'm finding they ripened through the winter, and they are not getting spongy like the ripe ones.
DeleteI have plans to do that today. I can't believe how much preserving I've been doing in the spring. Usually spring is a slow time for that.
ReplyDeleteDaphne, I still have a few more to do, but today has to be spent cleaning up the pine tree mess from our recent wind storm. Again.
DeleteVery good! How did you store these so that they lasted this long?
ReplyDeleteLOL, Ray, I'll just copy and paste my reply to a comment from yesterday...
DeleteAfter I harvested them I scrubbed them with a soft brush and water, then gave them a dip into a sink filled with water and a small amount of bleach. Once they had air dried, they were all placed on the patio table, where they cured for a couple of weeks in the warmth. Then I moved them into the garage. It was still a bit warm in there, but it soon cooled down and stayed above freezing all winter.
Some people won't use the bleach dip, but I find the squash (and tomatoes) rot much more quickly if I don't. The small amount I use, probably 2-3 tbsp. per gallon of water, and the air drying dissipates the bleach quickly, but it kills a lot of organisms that can cause rot. I did a comparison on green tomatoes a couple of years ago. One batch got the bleach treatment, the other didn't. I didn't lose a single tomato that had the dip, and almost every tomato that just got washed rotted before ripening.
Yum! I would go through all that puree in no time. I'm trying to grow butternut squash this year, I hope I'm successful. It's one of my favorite veggies.
ReplyDeleteAlison, we really love our butternuts. I'll probably be planting my seeds today or tomorrow, but I think maybe a few less than last year!
DeleteGorgeous! I am going to have to try the bleach dip this year... My squash were totally disgusting by January and I had to toss them all... It was a very sad day :(
ReplyDeleteAshlee, don't forget the 2 week curing in a warm spot!
DeleteButternut squash is a Fall crop right? Or can I plant now? And what do you do with all that puree? Pies? Or other recipe tips?
ReplyDeleteNice job, I love that you saved them. We couldn't do that here, never gets cold enough but that wouldn't prevent me from growing them and just pureeing as we harvest.
1st. Man, yes it is a fall crop. I planted mine today, and I'll be harvesting ripe squash mostly in August and September. It takes up a LOT of room in the garden, but it's worth it. Don't believe it when they say 4 square feet per plant, mine put out vines that can go 30 feet. In mid-July it took up the entire middle of the north garden (the fence posts are 8' apart, so you can estimate the size of the vines by that) I had only 4 hills (I think 2-3 seeds in each) planted:
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My favorite way to prepare them? Read it here!
http://annieskitchengarden.blogspot.com/2009/08/august-25-2009-beautiful-beautiful.html
I use the puree in any recipe that calls for pumpkin. Two cups of squash subs for 1 can of pumpkin. Pies, cakes, muffins, cookies, pumpkin bread....it's all delicious! When we run out of whole butternuts, I just heat the frozen puree and top it with a pat of butter and a spoonful of brown sugar. Mmmmm good!
That is about how I fix mine only I don't use the mixer. I think I will do that. I just don't have nearly as much! Sure looks yummy! Nancy
ReplyDeleteNancy, yummy and convenient! I love having some already cooked and ready for a quick meal.
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