Oh My Gosh, Squash!

It’s officially Fall! With the change in the seasons comes a change in Farmer’s Market offerings. As the weather gets cooler, keep an eye out for mandarins, cabbage, kiwis, persimmons, pomegranates, and PUMPKINS! With Halloween just around the corner, the market is a great place to pick up something to decorate and something to roast.

Winter squash comes in all sorts of different shapes, sizes, and colors; all with varying flavors from sweet and nutty to crisp and fresh. Most popular varieties include Spaghetti Squash (so named for its spaghetti noodle-like insides), Acorn Squash, Kabocha Squash, Delicata Squash, Butternut Squash, and the king of all squash, the Pumpkin. These hearty winter fruits are an excellent source of a variety of vitamins and minerals, as well as protein and fiber. Find them at Ha Lee Moua, Yang’s, Grub, Farmalot, and Julia’s Fruit Stand.
To roast follow these easy instructions by Self Proclaimed Foodie:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• With a large sharp knife, pierce squash near the stem, insert the knife, and rock back and forth cutting your way around the entire squash cutting all but the stem. Remove the knife and break the squash in half. Use a knife to remove the remaining stem.
• Use a spoon to discard seeds. If desired, you can remove the pulp from the seeds and roast them too.
• Rub the flesh of the squash with olive oil. Place face down on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, face down, in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. You’ll know when the squash is done based on how easily a butter knife inserts into the flesh of the squash and also based on the wonderful smell. When done, remove from oven and allow squash to cool on baking sheet.
• When cool enough to handle, cut the squash into sections and remove the skin.
• At this point, you can serve the roasted squash as a side dish, cube it for a recipe, or puree it.
• To puree the squash, place peeled squash sections in a food processor. It is very thick so it occasionally needs to be re-positioned in the processor if it appears to not be thoroughly mixed. Pureed squash can be frozen in an air-tight container or plastic freezer bag for future use.

Just looking for something to decorate the house with? Look no further than Julia’s Fruit Stand. Offering a collection of unique and beautiful pumpkins that are sure to wow all your friends, Julia’s sells their pumpkins both at the market and straight off the patch at their farm in Los Molinos. Visit them Sundays for live music, pumpkin picking, and more!