The two beautiful winter squashes I found on a shelf in my carport one morning recently were a most welcome surprise, especially appreciated this year when injury put me off my usual planting regime. The winter squashes were one of the casualties of the disruption.
A phone call explained their arrival. A friend who has come by almost weekly to help out in the garden since I sustained the injury had dropped them off on the way to work.
Caron lives in a condo building where residents take turns creating artistic displays on seasonal themes in the foyer. The autumn display was a lovely arrangement of pumpkins, colourful squashes and dried grasses. When it was dismantled, its various items were distributed among the residents. Caron passed along two of them to me.
As the squashes were being parcelled out, the issue of identifying them arose and I was asked to name the types of my two squashes and suggest their most appropriate culinary treatments.
Delicata. The more striking squash of the two was a Delicata, a beauty in cream with dark green lengthwise stripes and speckles along with a few splashes of deep orange. It had a longish blocky shape and lengthwise ridging.
Delicata, or 鈥渟weet dumpling鈥� squash, is known for its sweet, tender orange flesh. Delicata is a favourite for stuffing and baking. The flesh is ideal for steaming and whipping or mashing into a pur茅e.
Another way to enjoy these beautiful squashes is to cut them into rings for roasting. Cut both ends off first, and clean out the seeds and fibre inside. Cut into rings, brush with melted butter, and roast at around 350 F until tender. Adding mashed garlic or grated fresh ginger root and maple syrup or honey to the butter is an option. I鈥檓 especially fond of squash baked with ginger, maple syrup and butter.
Several varieties of delicata are available, with variations in shape and colour. 鈥楽weet Dumpling鈥� is popular. Its fruits are squat and blocky, with pale ivory cream skin marked with dark green stripes. 鈥楧elicata鈥� fruits are longer. West Coast Seeds lists these two, along with 鈥楤ush Delicata.鈥�
Buttercup. The other winter squash was dark green with lighter, grey-green lines and the slightly flattened look of a buttercup squash. I鈥檝e seen buttercup described as looking like an acorn squash that鈥檚 been sat on. Another distinctive identifying feature is a prominent light-coloured 鈥渂utton鈥� at the base. The flesh is deep orange, with a rich, sweet, slightly nutty flavour.
I cut my gift buttercup squash into broad pieces for roasting. After I cleaned them of seeds and fibre, I spread butter on them, sprinkled salt and pepper and drizzled with a little maple syrup. Using this method of cooking squash, I sometimes add minced garlic or ginger root for a variation in flavour. Buttercup flesh, roasted or steamed, makes a nice pur茅e, too.
My butternut squash was probably a variety called 鈥楽weet Mama.鈥�
More squash in the kitchen. Another of my favourite squash preparation methods is to whip the steamed or baked flesh with butter, maple syrup and cream. The result is delicious and it looks lovely on a plate with a green vegetable and potato or rice. An addition of a tablespoon of rum might be a nice seasonal touch at Christmas time. Using coconut milk instead of cream is another possible variation.
Sage goes wonderfully well with squash. Consider peeling and cubing a squash. Toss the cubes in oil, place them in a baking pan, drizzle with maple syrup and top with minced sage leaves before roasting. Add garlic cloves if you like, tossing them in the oil along with the squash cubes.
Sage treats. Fresh sage leaves, briefly fried in butter using moderate heat, make a delicious topping for squash and also for pasta dishes. Simply wash and blot dry freshly picked sage leaves. Fry a few at a time, just until crisp. Place them on paper towelling and sprinkle with freshly grated salt. Keep some of the tender little morsels aside to snack on.
Garden events
Orchid meeting. The Victoria Orchid Society will meet on Monday, Nov. 26, at 7:30 p.m. in Gordon Head United Church Hall, 4201 Tyndall Ave. Deborah Ward, a long-time grower of orchids, will present 鈥淭ips, traps, and having fun while learning to grow orchids.鈥� Deborah has a large greenhouse where she grows a wide variety of plants. She specializes in Paphiopedilum and miniature Cattleya orchids. Guests are welcome.
