by Dennis Fisher and Joe Fisher
September Squash Song Recipes: ACORN SQUASH SQUASH AND APPLE Casserole In late August, stressed by a droughty season, our squash vines began to die back revealing party colored fruits. White, orange and green Festival. The bright red bombs of Kuri. Wheel-shaped Cheese Pumpkins. Turk's Turban, actually a gourd, in clownish greens and oranges. Sweet Dumpling. Tuffy. Delicata, dry and sweet.
Squashes are cucurbits, that is, they are in the same family as melons, pumpkins, gourds, and cucumbers. Sometimes there is confusion about which is which, not helped by the fact that all these fruits are promiscuous crossers, hybridizing readily across broad boundaries. If you save the seed of a squash that was grown next to a gourd, you might get something that resembles both or neither.
The most familiar old time Maine squash is probably Blue Hubbard, a variety that was grown so widely and served so often on the farm table that some of my relatives still won't eat it. It is an awesome gray-blue fruit, with a rind so thick that older squash can be cut apart with an axe. Hubbard is a great keeper, the ultimate winter storage squash.
I remember that every Aroostook garden also had its acorn squashes and butternuts and buttercups, all to be served baked with masses of fresh butter. I used to eat the bright orange blossoms straight out of the garden, liking the delicate flavor. Squashes have both male and female flowers, the males appearing first. These can be stuffed and fried, a Native American delicacy that is once again popular.
There are open-pollinated heirloom varieties and modern hybrids- some of the best of them from Asia. Down at the bottom of our squash field Kuri, a Hubbard type from Japan, twines around our popcorn on huge, ground demanding vines. We will get perhaps fifty good sized squash from six plants. Kabocha, a buttercup type, is meaty, dry, and sweet.
Festival is a new discovery for us this season. It looks something like a fat acorn, splashed with eye-catching colors. This squash has a fine flavor and like Delicata the rind can be eaten.
Winter squashes are long season, heat loving, heavy feeders. To grow them well in Maine it is a good idea to start them indoors and transplant after the last frost. If you can harden them off for a while in a cold frame or greenhouse, or just take them outside for an increasing number of hours each day, this will help insure a successful transition. Plant protectors such as row covers or hot caps will give your plants an early start.
Some winter squash grow on upright bushes but most are rampant sprawlers. Give them plenty of room in the garden. I like to put a few shovelfuls of compost under each plant or hill. Side dressing with compost about three weeks after planting will not only feed the plants but also provide a mulch to help keep the roots moist. Feeding with fish emulsion or compost tea once or twice a season is also a good idea, and at the same time you can feed your corn.
Striped cucumber beetles and squash beetles, both of which appeared in alarming numbers this year, are major pests of all squash. Row cover will help keep them off, and hand picking also works well, but must be done frequently. Go out in the early mornings while the insects are cold and sluggish and you can destroy many of them.
As the first frosts approach, you can harvest the mature squash. Leave as much stem a possible on the fruit. Most winter squash needs to be cured for storage. Set them outdoors in the sun for a couple of weeks, covering them with blankets if frost threatens. Then they can be kept in a cool, dry area where temperatures stay around 45 degrees. The ideal humidity for storing squash is 65-70 percent. Acorn types and Delicata don't need curing.
All of these and still more delicious squash types can be found this fall at the Belfast Farmer's market, ready to eat or store away in cellar, root cellar, or cool porch. Please come to our Stocking Up event, Sept. 28 and Oct. 1,2, to learn all about how to can, dry, and otherwise preserve food for the coming winter months.
ACORN SQUASH
- 4 medium acorn squash
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter -- softened
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup maple syrup
Preheat oven to 350. Bring 1 quart water to a simmer. Cut squash in half horizontally and clean out insides. Place cut-side down in a low-sided baking dish, fill with simmering water to about 1 inch. Bake 20 minutes. Combine butter, spices and maple syrup. Turn squash over and fill with the butter mixture. Return to oven and cook until the tip of a sharp knife easily pierces the flesh, about 30-40 minutes. Serve in shell.
SQUASH AND APPLE Casserole
- 2 pounds butternut or buttercup squash
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon mace
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 MacIntosh apples, peeled, cored & cut into 1/2" slices
Cut each squash in half. Clean out seeds and pulp; pare squash. Cut into 1/2" slices. Stir remaining ingredients together, except apple slices. Arrange squash in an ungreased 9 x 11 inch baking dish. Top with apple slices. Sprinkle sugar mixture over top. Cover with foil. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until squash is tender. Serves 6.