How is this possible? Tis the season to be sure. Temperatures are cooler here, with the first snow showers forecast this weekend. I've been wearing flip flops BECAUSE of the weather, and suffered chilly little piglets as a result. I just know that opportunities are limited... between now and the arrival of warmer temperatures. So I'm being brave.
I always used to know what month it was based on what was selling in the stores, but since Halloween candy made its annual debut the first week of September this year, I'm suspicious that the seasonal aisle may *not* be the best indication. Just hazarding a guess here.
This past weekend was food preservation fest 2011. I actually wrote 2012... I don't actually know when I am.
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| From left to right: Sugar Pumpkin, Mini Blue Hubbard, Banana Squash, Purple Finger Potatoes, and some kind of Spaghetti Squash. |
I loaded up on squash this weekend. Did you guess? I still have the sugar pumpkin, just waiting to be made into cookies and pumpkin cheesecake cups... and actually, everything except the banana squash.
The banana squash really is as big as it looks. 23 pounds.
My friend Olivia offered her hands for scale. What do you do with 23 pounds of squash? You halve it, then you halve it again... and again! Then you add a tablespoon of butter to each eighth with a little salt and pepper, and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until soft. After cooling, you remove the skin, dice into 1-2" cubes and store in freezer bags. Between this monster, the two spaghetti squash (not pictured) that I cooked and the pound of garlic that I minced with olive oil and preserved, I used up about 1/4 of my available freezer space. I might have to get more squash next weekend too... I can't help it!
Anyway, what are your food preservation plans this fall?
On to Friday Potluck.
Just a few quick and easy rules for joining the party:
1. Link directly to your recipe (not your main blog).
2. Only one recipe per blog each week.
3. Be sure, in the linked blog post, to link back here to Friday Potluck @ EKat's Kitchen using the button above or text.
4. Have fun, do some visiting and enjoy!
