Better not squash

Seasonal eating…I learned about this a couple of decades ago when I read the book “Never eat a tomato in January.” I like the way the author wrote the book and made me laugh. I realize now that his style of writing was very much like my own. He let readers understand seasonal eating in a non-intimidating way.

I looked for the book online and can’t find it. I borrowed it from someone or the library I just can’t remember. I don’t remember so many details of things when my kids were small. I must have had my head up my ass most of the time worried about raising them. There is a sweet children’s book “I will never eat a tomato,” but that isn’t the one I’m talking about.

Basically, eating fruits and vegetables that are in season will always taste better, no matter what. Think of greens, peas, and asparagus in the spring, a ripe and delicious tomato, or a juicy piece of watermelon in July & August. Pears and apples in the fall. Turnips, squash, potatoes in the wintertime.

People look forward to going apple or pumpkin picking with their families. Sometimes people are merely acting out how they want their lives to be like or supposed to be. I’ve seen my share of kids having meltdowns with stressed-out parents in the orchards or pumpkin patches. It happened to my family and I was super disappointed. My family didn’t fit that fantasy of mine and we had a ton of fruit that went to waste.

Many people do have notions about seasonal eating and I have found over the last 3 years that butternut squash is one of them. A big one!

When people think of the fall they think of pumpkin spice things, fuzzy sweaters, furry boots, bon fires and butternut squash.

I say a notion because while they like the idea of eating and enjoying the butternut squash, but actually cooking it is a whole different ball game.

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We have many recipes from our website using our Spatzle on our tables at our farmer’s markets. Many of them are using seasonal vegetables, which makes sense since we are at farmer’s markets. From what I have gathered, people love the idea of coming home with a basket loaded full of seasonal veggies that never get used in many cases. I love it that when people are given an idea or recipe for something they just purchased, they can’t wait to get home and make it, and do!

Many people will come back or email us how much they loved whatever recipe they tried. It makes me so happy and proud that they trusted me and my recipes.

Our recipe that I wrote Spatzle with Butternut Squash, Sage, and Parmesan is one of the most popular dishes for people to make. Don’t get me wrong, many of the folks who come to the market every week are wonderful cooks. They know exactly what they want and what they are going to do with it, but as I said earlier, many don’t.

I used to be like the other half that wanted to try new veggies, but it’s hard to figure out what to make if you have never even had it before. Talk to the farmers. They not only provide their products to their farmer’s market customers but supply many restaurants and know what chefs are looking for. Farmers I have found know the tastiest ways to use their products themselves. Don’t be afraid to ask them, they love it!

During the first farmer’s market season, I traded our Spatzle with a bunch of farmers for some really different varieties of produce. After talking to the farmers I had an idea of where to go with these new fruits and veggies. It was a whole new world of flavors!

Everyone knows what a butternut squash is, it’s the prepping of it that people don’t like. I sense this when someone is reading our recipe I tell them the truth. “I created this recipe because I had a squash that was about to go bad and I needed to do something with it.” People already know where I am coming from. I continue on, “I peeled, cubed, and roasted it on a Tuesday night. I knew I wasn’t going to use it that night because I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it, but at least it was cooked.”

Then I tell them, “Friday night I was running around like a fool and needed to make a fast dinner. I took that roasted butternut squash and sautéed it with our Spatzle, garlic, sage and threw in some parm cheese.” My family ate it and complimented me and told me that this dish was a keeper. The dish can be made with gnocchi or tubular pasta for that matter as well.

The thing that I realized is why people don’t like peeling and cutting up butternut squash. First off, it’s a bastard to peel and even harder to cut up. I watch people scrunch up their noses and listen to how they hated scooping out those seeds because it made their hands slimy. One woman said her hands felt like they had on one of those facial masks that harden up on your face. I’ve got to admit, I never thought of that one.

That woman, well she was right! It’s called “Squash hands.” I read all about it in an article in Southern Living. The sliminess is the sap from inside of the fruit, yes squash is a fruit. The sap hardens up when it is exposed to air, if the squash gets a gash in it, the sap will actually seal up the fruit and prevent rotting. That’s one smart squash!

Basically, I tell the people who want to try our recipe they can do two things. They can buy a butternut squash and suck it up or buy it already cubed up ones that you find in the grocery stores.

If you don’t have your heart set on a specific recipe that requires peeling, cubing, and roasting it, you can roast it without peeling or cutting it up.

Cutting the squash in half longways and scooping out the seed I the only prep for roasting butternut squash. There are literally endless possibilities you can do with squash prepared this way. I also do this with acorn squash.

You can mash it instead of potatoes, whip it, make pancakes or muffins, a ravioli filling, a cream sauce. The list of recipes goes on and on.

I found a monster squash about a month ago and every time I looked in the fridge I was like, “Shit, I’ve gotta use this thing.” Yesterday I decided I had the time to roast it up and serve it with dinner mashed with a little butter, kosher salt & pepper, maple syrup, and a little pumpkin pie spice.

After the squash was roasted, I let it cool. I scooped the flesh out, which by the way is super easy. If you notice in my photos the outside of the squash caramelized which adds a nice depth of flavor.

I decided instead of just mashing it, I threw it into my food processor. Afterward, I used some for dinner and had enough to divvy up and freeze.

Whenever I freeze something my food service training tells me to label and date whatever I put into the freezer, this way three months later I don’t pull it out and say, “What the hell is this?”

I hope this makes seasonal eating and farmer’s markets less intimidating. I also hope that if there is a dish, fruit or vegetable you have always wanted to try, do it! Don’t let the farmer’s market, the actual produce, preparation or recipe stand in your way.