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.