Tuesday, 15 October 2024

The Kitchen List

 The problem with doing so much painting over the last month means I've spent virtually no time in the kitchen.

I really need to............ 

Make pizza bases for freezing
Cook up some pizza Topping ditto
Make Red Tomato Relish
And bread as usual
Turn some cheap wholemeal bread and saved crusts into breadcrumbs and dry some for freezing
Plus making cheese scones for my garden helper

and something with some of these Butternut Squash - last year I had 2 plants that produce one squash this year my two plants have given me all this lot!  There are 9 here and a couple are Giants - I will use some in a  big batch of veggie curry but what the heck to do with the rest!



Thank goodness they will keep.

I looked back to see when it was that I'd written that they weren't doing well  - it was early September, then they really got going and more than I thought were lurking under leaves and beside the heating oil tank. 
Further back on the blog I'd put a photo of the squash and pumpkin plants after planting out  at the smallholding. May 2014 this was - ten years ago - an age and yet no time at all.





They always sold well.

Back Soon
Sue

31 comments:

  1. I haven't grown any but I have found them fairly cheaply, including a couple in Waste Not boxes. I've roasted and pureed them to use as soup base during the winter.

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    1. I shall find lots of ways to use them I'm sure and youngest daughter wants one or two

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  2. They keep for ages so you should be fine, that's a great crop. 🙂

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  3. I was given a large squash last week, and made a batch of veggie curry. Never tried growing them though

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    1. They need plenty of room to sprawl. Which is why there are more than I thought - they were lurking!

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  4. Yes, 2014 doesn't seem that long ago but so much has passed in that time and so many changes have happened. Roasting butternut and then turning it into soup used to be one of my husband's "specialties." He just made it so much better than I have ever been able to.

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    1. A whole different life now - I don't look back too often

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  5. Pumpkin scones are delish slathered in butter and they freeze really well and are very popular here in Australia. Shirley

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  6. We love butternut soup, with some pepper it lovely.

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  7. I purée it and use it as pumpkin. I don’t care for the soup but make muffins and pie. Delicious!

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    1. I don't eat many sweet things but they make a lovely curry

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  8. We've had a pretty decent crop this time but they are quite small compared to last year and they haven't ripened fully, not enough sun. Do you think they will be ok Sue? It's only the second time we've grown them and you are much more experienced at growing than I am!
    Angie

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    1. You could leave them outside as long as you dare until frosts then if they are still a tad green use them up more quickly. I shall use the two that are still a bit green first.

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    2. Maxine aka mikemax17 October 2024 at 05:53

      I grew butternut squash last year and had a huge crop--don't remember how many, but it was around 15-18. This is in response to Pensive Pensioner's question about squash that hasn't fully ripened. I read somewhere that you could bring them inside and, over time, they would continue to ripen. I did this with the last few and it worked perfectly!

      I baked a couple of squash at a time, ate it for dinner and froze the rest in zip-loc bags. I had grown up cutting the squash and scooping out the seeds before baking. Another friend told me that her mother always baked the squash whole and cleaned out the seeds and skin after it cooled. I tried this and it was a lot easier.

      I was looking forward to growing butternuts again this year but didn't get my garden planted due to illness in the family last spring. However, I stuck 3 tomato plants in the ground. They were late producing, but I've harvested a lot for eating fresh and canning.

      I am not an expert gardener--just got lucky.

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    3. Meant to mention that I got 15-18 butternuts from 3 plants. They took over my garden!

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  9. I had squash curry at the Buddhist supper. It was delicious.

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  10. Have fun dreaming up imaginative ways with squash. You could produce a pamphlet/recipe book - 101 Super Squash Specials.

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    1. There's probably one out there already !

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    2. I made a butternut squash risotto tonight from a Sunday times supplement recipe this weekend. Very tasty & easy 👍

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  11. Sounds like you have lots of ideas on how to use them. I was going to suggest giving some away but your daughter has already thought of that. You know so much more than I do about such things, Sue.

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    1. Can't give any to BiL as a swap for beetroot as he wouldn't have a clue what to do with them

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  12. My mother used them instead of pumpkin in pies. I like to make butternut squash soup.

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    1. I have enough to try all sorts of recipes but won't be doing a pie

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  13. The squash are good just sectioned and roasted w olive oil, or stuffed w quinoa and ground beef [or?]. This week I'm making a roasted veg thing, the BS gently tossed w cranberries and walnuts and farro. Leftovers as a salad, adding slivered apples, arugula and kale and a light creamy dressing. Quinoa or brown rice are good subs for farro. Also think you can core and section and freeze for future roasting.

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    1. They'll keep all winter if dry so won't need to freeze any

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  14. I've almost always used butternut in the same way as pumpkin or even sweet potatoes. What about a chutney? Or traybakes with sausages for Bonfire Night?
    Do you ever make Bread Pudding with leftover bread?

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  15. Only two plants and your butternut squash produced a lot. One year, to my surprise, butternut squash grew in my compost pile and produced 7 good size squashes. I gave one squash to each neighbor and still had three for me.

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  16. Wow, that is a great squash harvest. I have one I purchased that I will need to make something out of very soon.

    God bless.

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