We’re into our last « big » harvest of the season these days, gathering up winter squash. While harvesting continues into October, nothing of this magnitude will follow. The fact is, you can’t escape winter squash on a farm; they take all the field space allocated to them, and then some. Whether of the creeping or bushing variety, it matters not – they fan out and fill the field, forming a luxuriant carpet after only a few weeks of growth. This year, inspired by another organic farmer, we experimented with a new growing technique, planting our squash seedlings in a field of felled rye, the idea being to use a natural weed barrier instead of the plastic mulch we use (too) often in our ongoing battle with weeds. Sown right, rye can indeed act as an effective weed barrier, subsequently doubling as compost for the field which will be harrowed under after the harvest. We have yet to draw a formal conclusion for all of our winter squash, but if the spaghetti squash in your baskets this week is an early indication of a trend, it’s looking pretty good. We’ll see how our other squash fare as they grace your baskets in coming weeks before we make a final call for future seasons.
A new employee, Sarah, has joined us for the month of September. An amazing vegan cook, she dreamed up a delicious spaghetti squash recipe over the long weekend. It goes something like this : cut the squash in two, lengthwise and empty out the seeds before placing the two halves face down in a baking dish. While the squash bakes 45 minutes at 400⁰F, prepare a dressing of olive oil, seasoned with cinnamon, cumin, cloves, coriander seeds, salt and pepper – all to taste. When it is done, scoop the out the interior into a serving bowl and mix in the spiced sauce. It’s an interesting change from the tomato sauce default. We look forward to seeing you all again.