Winter Squash

2009 Butternut and Spaghetti winter squash

For many centuries one of the only fresh vegetables in the Americas at this time of year was the hard-shelled winter squash. Easily lasting through the winter and well beyond, (I have several Navajo hubbard squash that have lasted through a second winter- I'll harvest seeds and try to eat them soon; look for a post) these squash were a significant contribution to the world food-stocks when early explorers brought seeds back to the old-world. Along with corn and beans, squash forms the symbiotic triad called the "three sisters" of the new-world. Corn grows tall, shading and fed by the nitrogen-fixing beans, and squash vines spread and smother weeds around and between the mounds of corn and beans.

Two of the 'three sisters' during the summer

This year I planted summer and winter squash, separately in five large clumps. Each 3' mound was planted with three starts from the local nursery and vines spread 5-10' in diameter. The summer squashes did great and I enjoyed plenty of yellow and zucchini squash (fresh male squash flowers were the delicacy of that season), but the winter squash struggled; in October I brought in a couple dozen small-ish butternut and spaghetti squash. This harvest paled in comparison to the previous year's harvest of various Navajo winter squash, grown together with it's two sisters, and all from seed from Native Seeds/SEARCH. Next year I will definitely return to the traditional method of mixed plantings and local seed stock.

Winter Lunch

As my 'cold-cellared' (on a bed of Gallup bricks at 45 degrees) stock of winter squashes steadily disappears, I recently grabbed two butternut squash for a winter-themed lunch. I roasted the halved squash at 400 for 25 minutes, sautéed onion and garlic, and then blended the lot with chicken stock. The puree was then simmered with milk for a while. However savory, the delicious, creamy, and healthy squash soup --topped with a crunchy fried sage leaf-- was still out-shined by a good friend's grilled-cheese with sharp cheddar, brie, portabellas, and a touch of pesto. Yum! And more than enough calories for a great snow-day ski adventure.

Hope Community Garden Update

Looking East over the future raised-beds and cold-frames of the Hope Garden

Over the past couple months Blue Sky Builders of Espanola, NM have made steady progress on the community/demonstration garden project at the Community Pantry in Gallup. The perimeter fences have been built, the retaining walls of the garden beds built, and four rainwater harvesting tanks installed. The later coming just in time to capture the winter snowfall- all four tanks were filled to the brim (around 10,000 gallons) and over-flowing, yet no valves or plumbing had been installed (a hard thing to do when fighting so much water pressure).

On my 1500 gallon rainwater tank, I lost a full load of water the first winter it was installed when the 2" ball valve cracked during a week of sub-freezing weather. Insulation and an electric pipe warmer have since solved that problem. However, if I had chosen a more sun-exposed location for the plastic valve, I doubt I'd have any problem, as is the case at the Hope Garden's tanks. Three of the four cold-frames they've planned have been fitted together, still waiting their protective plastic covers and rich soil. I'll meet with the Community Pantry staff soon and post an interview on the specific status of this great project.

The Seasons Begin Again

So it feels like the sun is coming back north again.

Both the garden (over-eager garlic shoots have already made a fruitless/frozen appearance above ground) and I can anticipate coming out of our cold, rejuvenating dormancy. Yet, as most second-graders know, despite the occasional feeling to the contrary, it’s us who are on that elliptical route around the bright sun. Either way, it’s warming both our gardens, and hopefully my fingers to keep this we(b-log) going; so thanks for returning.

Just as is the Native American cuisine this time of year, through this winter I’ve mostly been eating stews of many varieties: Lamb and late potatoes, green chile/beef, red chile/anything (All with garlic, and seasonal veggies and canned at 14 lbs. for 1.5 hrs). Frozen Zuni Mtn. elk and El Morro Valley beef have also kept many of my friend's crock-pots full. Thanks for sharing guys, and thanks to all of you who are supporting local growers. (El Morro Valley Ranch is in the Gallup Journey!)

Coming up in this season I’ll post about my egg-less hens/gallup’s chicken prohibition, frozen leeks, perennial rosemary, The Hope Community Garden, local restaurants w/whole foods, NM-grown at the Co-op, cold frames and year-round crops, Native Seed/SEARCH, Julia and Julie, geo-thermal tiliapia aqua-culture, Kitchen Impossible/Food Network in Gallup, historic produce production of the Zuni Mountians, Gallup’s awesome CSA, Navajo a'chee sausage, the incredible local foods of the Gallup Flea Market….and then more.

Again, thanks for coming back to my blog. Kevin