Winter Squash recipes?

[mzgarden]

If the garden continues, we will be buried in hundreds of pounds of winter squash - cushaw, semolina pumpkin, butternut and a couple volunteer plants from the compost pile. We love squash so no problem. The goats and chickens love squash too, but now I'm looking for some less common recipes to try out.

I know the baked, roasted, soups, dehydrate & powder standard stuff. We don't eat much sweet stuff/baked goods - a couple loaves of pumpkin bread a year is enough (no pumpkin pie type stuff, ick).

So, do you have any tried & true, 'outside the norm' recipes for winter squash that are not baked goods that I could add to my list?

[dw]

Love butternut soup. About 1/4 lb of breakfast type sausage, onion, chicken broth or veg, cube butternut. I use an immersion blender once the squash is soft...easy & good.

[mogal]

Lucky you, mzgarden! My one spaghetti squash has bitten the dust and I noticed that one of the zucchini plants looks like it has bacterial wilt from cucumber beetles. I've been diligent about monitoring for those and squash bugs, squash vine borers and picking the pests but I guess it only takes one.

I was hoping to use some of the extra zucchini for goats and chickens this winter too.

[mzgarden]

mogal, after years of failure due to squash bug and vine borers, I've given up growing standard summer squash. What I do have tremendous luck with is growing Zucchino Rampicanto (aka Tromboncino). In fact I've switched all my squash gardening to Moschata varieties - they have a denser stem and are more resistant to borers than the standard soft stem varieties (C. Pepo & C. Maxima). Butternut are an example of the C. Moschata variety. I also grow Semoliina pumpkin and Cushaw and all seem to do better than the C.Pepo and C.Maxima varieties. They're not perfect, but they're better for us.

[mogal]

mzgarden, I've grown that tromboncino and we really liked it. The first year, I grew it on the ground and it formed as it wanted to in large loops. The next year, I used a trellis and stacked the mature squash almost like cordwood. Unfortunately, I can't find the seed I saved so I need to find a new source. Will check out the other varieties you mentioned.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I cut back all the wilted stems on that one zucchini and sprayed with a few drops of eucalyptus EO in water. I saw a video by Rusted Garden on you tube about his using peppermint EO to deter squash bugs, etc. I like peppermint, don't like eucalyptus so am using it to get rid of it while I can keep my peppermint.

Speaking of...the peppermint starts you shared with me are growing great guns and I've already taken cuttings from both pots to dehydrate.

[mzgarden]

mogal, Good to know the starts are growing well for you. I pm'd you about the Tromboncino.

[themotherhen]

mzgarden, I have grated up various squash and cooked them into spaghetti sauce, meatballs and meatloaf, taco meat, casseroles, etc. It's a good way to bide veggies and get some extra nutrients and fiber.

[solargeek]

Aug 18, 2022 16:55:47 GMT themotherhen said:

mzgarden, I have grated up various squash and cooked them into spaghetti sauce, meatballs and meatloaf, taco meat, casseroles, etc. It's a good way to bide veggies and get some extra nutrients and fiber.

I have two perfectly good huge butternut squash from last November in our cold room. Could I shred those up as you’re describing and freeze the shredded squash to make sauce later?

[mogal]

I would.

[themotherhen]

Aug 18, 2022 18:12:55 GMT solargeek said:

Aug 18, 2022 16:55:47 GMT themotherhen said:

mzgarden , I have grated up various squash and cooked them into spaghetti sauce, meatballs and meatloaf, taco meat, casseroles, etc. It's a good way to bide veggies and get some extra nutrients and fiber.

I have two perfectly good huge butternut squash from last November in our cold room. Could I shred those up as you’re describing and freeze the shredded squash to make sauce later?

Yes, that should work out fine! 

[dustawaits]

Squash makes great pies similar to pumpkin. It also makes a dish without crust baked in the oven. I bake butternut in the oven or on top of the stove. It can have sausage and apple baked in the cup. Yellow way oversized summer squash is delicious baked in the oven.

This year I am growing Cliff Dweller ,
Mrs Amerson, butternut, and one or two more.
I do not have a very big garden and the watermelon is coming from the south, the butternut from the north, cliff Dweller and MrsAmerson from the west, and cantoloupe from the east all are meeting in the the center! I also have tomato plants, corn ,peas, Swiss chard etc.

[mzgarden]

dustawaits, Sounds fun - I never heard of cliff dweller and Mrs. Amerson squash so I looked them up. Cliff Dweller looks like a type of cushaw - I grow the green & white stripe cushaw. I might have to get some Mrs. Amerson seeds for next year - that's a C. Moschata so it's resistant to vine borer. I've switched to mostly C. Moschata squashes so all I have to fight with are squash bugs of which we have thousands. I think we need an ant variety that eats squash bug eggs, lol.

[dustawaits]

People say lizards eat your garden.
I encourage lizards in my garden!!
I do not like ants though.

Mrs Amerson is doing very well here.
There are 4 sizable fruit on one vine.
The cliff Dweller grows very fast.
I soak the plants but think I need to more often. I like to have lots of squash.
We did get a shower last night.

[dustawaits]

Mrs Amerson was outside of the garden fence. It had three squash on it. They turn yellow when ripe. It is not ripe yet but something took one of the squash last night. No sign of it at all.

[mzgarden]

dustawaits, you have a squash thief -- I hope the other two stay safe.

[dustawaits]

Yes I think you are right .this evening another squash is on the vine but not well seen. I put a fence around it. Is small maybe the creature will not come over. But it must not be two small as the squash weighed about a lb.

The cliff Dweller is a fast growing squash...

[moldy]

Yesterday at work, they had acorn squah stiffed with sausage, onion, celery, mushrooms, and sour cream. It was delicious!

[mzgarden]

moldy, that sounds delicious, I'll make that some time this winter.

I did find a new use for some butternut. Every year as the garden winds down I chop up veg, roast it and then put it through the food processor to a thick 'mush' and freeze it in 1 cup increments. Makes great soup, stew base, goes well over pork chops or chicken and I've even spread it on french bread and broiled it with a bit of parm. This year my veg base included a couple butternut squash. On the sheet pan were rough chopped - onions, garlic, tomatoes, celery, butternut squash, bell peppers and italian peppers. The squash made it a little more creamy than usual which will work out just fine.

[dustawaits]

I think that I picked a Mrs Amerson this morning.
But I am not sure. It was about the size of a grapefruit.
Anyway it was a nice addition to lunch.
I found a pumpkin I did not know I planted.
Brought in three butternuts.. some of the vines are
dying due to aphids that I missed. So I picked the squash
on thoze vines. No doubt about them being winter squash.
I am delighted about that.

[mogal]

We had frost last Friday night that killed my Tromboncini squash vines. I'd already picked the young squash to use as zucchini.