Part 2: Cottage Pantry Potentials
Friday, January 6, 2012
How any one person can say they do not like squash is beyond me. With hundreds of different varieties, there is bound to be at least one or two fitting to such picky taste buds. In this house, we prefer the more sweet potato varieties. Well... The captain does enjoy Spaghetti squash but I have yet to find one that is more "unique" from the grocery aisle variety.
Today, we focus on an unfamiliar acorn squash I came across whilst dreaming of spring soil. I decided to go grow acorn squash this year being my Mother In Law is rather fond of them. I thought a new variety would be nice to share with her while also adding to the pantry storable choices.
This year, we've decided on Thelma Sanders Sweet potato squash.
Excerpt from SSE: "Family heirloom from Thelma Sanders in Adair County, Missouri. The seed was passed from neighbor Everett Pettit to Sue and Tom Knoche, Ohio squash collectors and two of SSE’s earliest members. Wonderful cream-colored acorn squash. Sweet chestnut flavor, enormously productive. Our favorite two-serving baking squash. 85-90 days."
Don't ya' just love edibles with a story? Hopefully seed companies will catch on & begin to give a bit of history lesson as well as basic description with each of their offerings. That would be nice.
photo by Seasonal Ontario Food
This variety is said to be a VERY good pantry storing squash, according to abundant life seeds*." One of the longest storing winter squash we have grown." Impressive. Especially being Acorn Squash are said to not be more then an avg of 2 months in storage.
Over at the SSE forum*, I found this very helpful advice on storing the Thelma Sanders by a member named bcday:
"The hardness of the shell is the indicator. This is a winter squash and should have a hard shell like a pumpkin. It won't have its full flavor and it won't store well if it's harvested before it has matured with a very hard shell. I wouldn't use either the color or the stem as an indicator. In my NY climate we don't harvest winter squash until a few days before the first expected frost."
I am sure you can manage to grow winter squash without my input. Not that I do anything special for each kind of plant. Leaves, grass & compost on the whole thing. I know there is a section more sandy where root crops grow best. There is a section with more clay that is slowly working its way to more versatility by adding the compost and of course there is a spot rich & dark. No science class needed or top soil trucked in}. Just some Common sense.
So lets get to the Harvesting.
Do not cure acorn squash. The high temperature and relative humidity during the curing process actually reduce the quality and storage life.
As for WHERE to store them? I have heard of people placing a sheet under their bed, where the squash hang out until cooking time. Great idea for those with limited space. Others can make room in a garage or basement, using shelves from floor to ceiling. How about a shelf 2 feet below the ceiling all the way around the room? Up & out of the way, without taking up floor space.
My basement has a wall of closet like pantry shelves, built from the original owners sometime in the 1940's. Plenty of room for squash & jars. And one of the reasons I am in love with our little cottage.
Simple shelves like these from Farming for life* are all you would need:
Rather soothing of a site. I am rather fond of such a basic set up, adorned with the winter edibles. Must be rather uplifting to venture down while the wind is howling & icicles hang from the gutters, to hold the many colors from your summer garden, untouched from their original form.
I did take note many people eat winter squash rather simply. Baking with a pat of butter. Some with the addition of simple seasonings like pepper or cinnamon. They are far more versatile then such primitive forms. Majority of winter squash can be substituted for each other in any recipe you choose.
There is Gratin*, Savory Squash rolls*, Puree & mashed*. Heck, there's even a Squash cookie recipe* with addition of oatmeal!
Expand your Squash savoring with a new variety along with plenty of new recipes for your discernment this upcoming season. Go beyond the tomatoes and other canned goods. Think simple preserving. After all, taking a quote from my Son whom was talking to his father about why he didn't eat breakfast with 5 box's of cereal in the pantry :
" A man can only eat so many cheerios dad! That's all there is. Cheerios. Cheerios. Cheerios."
" A man can only eat so many cheerios dad! That's all there is. Cheerios. Cheerios. Cheerios."
I gotta agree. The same old thing gets tiring real quick.
Sweet Garden Dreams,
~Tammie
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