GardenFork – Eclectic DIY

Tag: winter squash

  • Heirloom Simple Squash Soup Recipe – GF Video

    Heirloom Simple Squash Soup Recipe – GF Video

    Here’s a simple squash soup recipe that uses heirloom winter squash- Blue Hubbard – instead of the usual Butternut Squash. You can use any type of winter squash in this soup, but we wanted to trumpet the use of more heirloom vegetables in our recipes here.



    We grow heirloom and hybrid squash in our neighbor’s field, using the weed stop fabric. We made a how to video about using the weed free plastic gardening mulch, which you can watch here.

    Winter Squash are easy to grow. The biggest problem we have with growing squash is the Squash Vine Borer, and we have 2 videos on dealing with them

    An organic method to prevent the Squash Vine Borer Video

    How to deal with a Squash Vine Borer infestation Video

    You can cook winter squash several ways, steaming, frying, baking… I prefer to roast squash. You need to be careful when cutting winter squash, it’s quite dense, and you need a sharp knife. Take care to steady the squash and yourself when cutting it up, if you slip, its a bad thing with a knife.

    Baking or roasting squash helps sweeten the flavor of the squash, i think. I split the squash in two, put both halves face up in a pan, and stick in the oven; don’t cover with foil.

    Heirloom Simple Squash Soup Recipe
    Ingredients
    •    1 Heirloom Squash, such as Hubbard
    •    1 medium onion, chopped
    •    1 small handful sage or thyme or a mix
    •    2 cups lowfat milk
    Cooking Directions
    1. Split the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, place face up in roasting pan and roast for 1 hour at 350 or until squash flesh is soft. you can check this when a knife easily inserts into the flesh.
    2. When squash is roasted, put 2 glugs of oil in a dutch oven or deep pot, toss in oinion and cook till just golden and kinda clear
    3. Add cooked squash flesh to the pot along with chopped herbs
    4. Mash the squash with a potato masher and add some of the milk.
    5. You can use a hand blender or masher to cream the squash, adding more milk to get the consistency you want. A blender will work also, but its more messy.
    6. Salt and pepper to taste and ladle into individual bowls.
    7. You can add in home made croutons, which makes the soup more of a filling meal.

  • Squash Vine Borer Treament Prevention #1 : GF Video

    Squash Vine Borer Treament Prevention #1 : GF Video

    Squash Vine Borer eating your squash, pumpkin, and zucchini plants every year? Squash plants dying? Here’s how to prevent squash vine borers from eating your squash plants. The borer is the caterpillar of the Melittia cucurbitae moth. The moth lays eggs at the base of young squash plants, both winter squash, summer squash, and pumpkins and the eggs hatch and the caterpillar burrows into the stem of the squash plant, eating the plant from the inside out.

    How To Prevent & Protect Squash Plants with our how to video:

    There are several ways to prevent the squash vine borer from destroying your plants, I’ve heard about wrapping the stem in foil or pantyhose to confuse the moth, or placing a square of aluminum foil around the base of the young plant is said to confuse the moth. I have also seen larvae enter the squash plant farther up the stem, so using foil or stockings may or may not work. There are also commercial sprays to deter the moth.

    Borer Prevention

    Our borer prevention method we learned from our neighbor Priscilla, who can be heard on these GardenFork Radio episodes on growing heirloom tomatoes. The one good thing about Squash Vine Borers is they have only one egg cycle, so once you get your plants past the egg laying time of the moth, you can relax about your squash plants drying from squash vine borers.

    You can buy floating row fabric from Fedco Seeds Growing Supplies here.

    Check out our gardening how-to video on how to prevent Squash Vine Borers from ruining your squash plants. Let us know how you keep the borers from killing your squash plants below:

    squash-vine-borer-treatment-3
    Squash Vine Borer Treatment method #2 Extraction

    squash-vine-borer-treatment-play
    Squash Vine Borer Treatment #3 using Bt

  • Butternut Squash Soup Recipe GF Video

    Butternut Squash Soup Recipe GF Video

    Simple and good, this Butternut Squash Soup Recipe is a perfect fit for Gardenfork and its real easy to make, so I can’t screw it up, right?

    We also have a how to video on making squash soup using heirloom squash here.

    And if you are growing winter squash here are two videos for dealing with the squash vine borer:

    An organic method to prevent the Squash Vine Borer Video

    How to deal with a Squash Vine Borer infestation Video

    butternut-squash-soup-recipe

    Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
    Ingredients
    •    1 large or 2 medium Butternut Squash, peeled and cubed
    •    1 medium onion chopped
    •    1-2 tart apples
    •    2 cups milk or cream
    Cooking Directions
    1. Saute the onion until it starts to get golden and sweet.
    2. Add the cubed squash, 3 cups of water and cover.
    3. Allow the squash to cook, a knife should pierce the cubes.
    4. Liquify with a hand blender, or spoon the mixture into a food processor.
    5. How smooth you want the soup is a person preference.
    6. Add the milk or creme to taste, it adds a richness to the soup.
    7. Variations: you can add some cumin or coriander to this, and a bit of bacon when sauteing the onions.