Availability: October-December
Storage tips: Winter Squash wants to be between 50-65 degrees. It stores best in a cool dry room in your house and should last at least into November and can last much longer depending on conditions.
How to eat: Basic winter squash preparation includes roasting. Heat oven to 375 degrees, cut squash in half, scoop out seeds and place face down on baking sheet or dish. Add ½ inch of water to the pan and roast for 45 minutes or until a fork pierces easily through the skin. We enjoy using winter squash in soups and Acorns are especially good for stuffing.
How to preserve: FREEZE: Roast the squash as noted above and put into a freezer container and freeze. Perfect later for soups and purees.
Preheat oven to 400. Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Put butter and sweetener into cavity of squash. Bake face up in a casserole dish covered with aluminum foil and with a half inch of water in the bottom until soft, about 1 hour. Serve hot.
You could also make this vegetarian, by substituting a grain for the sausage. Rice, farrow, wheat berries, etc. would work. Or add the grain in addition to the meat!
Put squash on baking sheet. Roast at 400 until tender, about 45 min. Brown the sausage and onions. Add in rest of ingredients except cheese until heated. Remove from heat, mix in cheese, and fill squash with mixture. Return to oven to melt the cheese.
You can use any kind of squash flesh here. Acorn, butternut, buttercup, delicata, or any of the various specialty squashes that we grow from year to year. You can double it and put it into a 9 x 11 casserole. Keeps well in fridge for a week or freezes well, too.
Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Combine and gently mix. Pour into greased 8 x 8 casserole and bake 40 min or until a fork inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve hot or cold and no one will ever guess it’s veggie based!
