One crop we always seem to do well with on the farm is winter squash.  This year the squash has been particularly good, since we let it ripen longer on the vine than in 2008.  We grew a new variety of butternut that turned out to be huge–enough to feed a family for a week!  Our buttercup variety has been especially nice—it’s the green squash with the blue button end, simliar to the Japanese kabocha squash.  It has dense, sweet, fiberless flesh and small seed cavity.  And then of course you have the old standby acorn squash! 

There are numberless recipes that use squash—and any of these will do your Thanksgiving table proud.  Here's a few to get you started.

Aromatic Butternut Squash Soup
from “Cooking from the Heart” by Michael J. Rosen

4-5 lbs butternut squash (about half of one of Sunshine’s!)
3 medium carrots, cut into thirds
2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
10 cups chicken or strong vegetable stock
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. packed dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground mace
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup fresh orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Place the squash halves, skin side down, in a shallow roasting pan.  Arrange the carrots and onions around the squash and pour 2 cups of broth into the pan.  Place 1½ Tbsp. each of butter and brown sugar in the center cavities of each squash half.  Cover the pan with foil.  Bake for 2 hours.  Uncover squash, and cool slightly. Scoop the squash pulp into a large heavy pan and discard skin.  Add the carrots, onions and cooking liquid from the roasting pan.  Add the remaining 8 cups of broth, as well as the ginger, mace, and salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes.  

Cool the soup slightly and puree, either with a submersible hand blender or in small batches in a food processor or blender.  Return the puree to the pot and stir in the orange juice, taste and adjust the seasonings.  

Maple-Ginger Baked Acorn Squash
from “Starting with Ingredients:  Quintessential Recipes for the Way We Really Cook”

3 acorn squash
½ cup maple syrup
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2-inch section of ginger, peeled and grated
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Prick the acorn squash 2 to 3 times (to prevent from exploding), then microwave on high for 3 minutes.  Split squash in half and, using a large metal spoon, scrape out and discard seeds.  

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor, combine maple syrup, butter, ginger, salt and pepper and process until creamy.  Divide maple-butter equally and spoon into the cavity of the acorn squash halves.  Arrange the acorn squash in a tightly fitting baking dish and bake 45 minutes, or until lightly browned and soft when pierced with a skewer.  

Buttercup Squash Quinoa Salad
from  the Hope for Healing blog
www.glutenfreehope.blogspot.com

1 medium yellow onion
1 Tbsp. of olive oil
1 cup dried quinoa
2 cups water
1 Tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
2 cups of diced, baked buttercup squash (dice squash, lay on cookie sheet and bake at 400 F for 1 hour, let cool and peel off skin)
1 cup of finely chopped fresh kale
1 cup of finely chopped fresh spinach
2-3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
½ cup of freshly chopped parsley
½ cup toasted walnuts/almonds
½ cup dried cranberries/cherries (optional)
Salt and pepper

Sautee onions in a little bit of olive oil in a medium saucepan.  Add 1 cup of dry quinoa and toast up for a few minutes before adding the water.  After 2-3 minutes add 2 cups of water and 1 Tbsp. tamari sauce.  Cook until to a boil, turn down to simmer and let cook for 15-20 minutes until there is no water left and there are air holes in the pot of cooked quinoa.  Set aside and let cool.  

In another frying pan, add 1 Tbsp. of olive oil to the bottom of the pan and place diced squash (already baked) in pan to warm up and fry.  After a few minutes of toasting the squash add the kale and spinach, slightly wilting the greens.  

In a large mixing bowl add the cooled quinoa mix, and the butternut squash and greens mix.  Toss in the vinegar, maple syrup and toasted nuts and berries.  Lastly, thoroughly mix in the parsley.