Generally, in our homes
today, the storage consists of a basement or pantry.
Years ago, a root cellar held stored food -
winter vegetables, squash, cabbage, etc.
This was a dug out portion of ground, often
containing a framed door, possibly framing inside -
a sort of cave.
Storage in the root cellar
kept fruit and vegetables from freezing and provided
food throughout the winter.
If the house had a cellar and it was cold
enough, food often was stored there.
Squash Appeal
Squash appealed in days ago
because it kept well through the winter (if stored
properly) and could be prepared in a variety of
ways, thus adding variation to the menu, in days
when there weren't so many different foods as
today.
This vegetable comes in
many types.
Among them are:
Hubbard, acorn (the traditional dark green),
white acorn, gold acorn, table ace, butternut, bush,
sugar loaf, buttercup, sugar, and turban.
Decorative Ideas for Squash
In addition to providing
food for fall and winter, squash with hard shells
provide decorative accents, both indoors and out.
*Place near your doorway,
around a display of dried corn stalks, perhaps with
pumpkins and gourds, too.
*Arrange squash and winter
vegetables in a bowl on a sideboard, dining or
kitchen table.
*Simply arrayed throughout
the house wherever a colorful accent is needed, they
look nice.
*Also displayed in a crock
or basket in a front hallway they add color..
*Place in gift baskets with
other fall fruit and vegetables.
Recipes
As mentioned, you can
prepare squash in a great variety of ways;
soup, casseroles, desserts, and breads.
MASHED SQUASH - Simply cooked (boiled or baked), scooped out and
mashed, served with butter and a dash of cinnamon,
makes an easy to prepare vegetable dish.
SQUASH PIE - Substitute cooked, mashed winter squash for the
pumpkin in a recipe.
It's tasty.
I usually can't tell the difference, but some
people claim they can.
BAKED ACORN SQUASH with
APPLE FILLING -
Wash 2 acorn squash, cut
into halves lengthwise; scoop out the seeds and
fiber. Place in a baking pan with the cut side down.
Add 1/2 inch boiling water.
Bake at 400 degrees F. for about 20 minutes.
Using 3 tart apples, peel,
core and dice them.
Mix with 1/8 cup melted butter and 1/4 cup
maple syrup or honey.
Take squash from oven, and
turn cut side up.
Fill squash with apple mixture.
Cover the pan with foil, and then continue
baking at 400 degrees F. for 30 minutes, or until
the apples and squash are tender.
ACORN SQUASH VARIATION - Many people serve the squash plain. Turn them right
side up and sprinkle with cinnamon, possibly a
little sugar, and a dab of butter.
Finish baking until tender. You also can
substitute maple syrup or honey for the sugar.
MORE VARIATIONS -
Some cooks make bread stuffing, like that used for
turkey, chicken or pork and fill the squash with it
instead of apples.
You also can add cranberries to the apples
(recipe above) or to the bread stuffing.
In the South, cooks might use cornbread
stuffing.
(c)Mary Emma Allen
(Mary Emma Allen researches
and writes from her woodland NH home.
She and her daughter currently are compiling
a family cookbook to preserve recipes and memories.
Check out her site, Tea Time Notes (http://teatimenotes.blogspot.com ) E-mail:
me.allen@juno.com)