Sprouted squash

Sprouted squash
Originally uploaded by jumjum15

I have mentioned before my extreme love for roasted squash. I can only eat it pureed, however, or in soups, not chunks.

In case I didn't mention it, here's what you do.

Wash a whole squash. Stab it deeply five or six times. Very satisfying. Set it in a roasting pan that's only a little bigger than the squash, if you can, and cook for at least an hour at 375. Larger squash takes longer, and I think I once had to go 2 hours.

The nice thing is, if it's undercooked when you cut it open to check, you can just toss it back in the oven until it's done. This happens to me almost every time.

I bought this one and let it sit on the shelf about a week before I cooked it, and when I opened it up, I saw the seeds had sprouted. I called my Mother-in-law, ho would know about these things, and asked her if the sprouting would poison me and the boy. She said it probably was picked in the fall, and here we are 6 months later, so that's why it had sprouted. But no poison.

We did the usual scrape, fork-mash, drown in butter treatment, which is the best. I've also used olive oil, and occasionally maple syrup, but butter is best. Massive doses of iron and vitamin A, all good things.

I attribute butternut squash to my son's awesome non-anemic state. I swear all the other kids his age are anemic. He likes meats, too though, so maybe that's it.

So yeah, eat seasonally, or your food might look like it's infested with worms. Still tasty, though!

Thanks for reading,
-Anne