Happy Halloween! We hope that everyone will join us this Thursday
for another tasteful Pathfinder Produce fresh fruits and vegetables market.
This week as part of our “21 Paths to Wellness,” our Vocational Staff will be
serving up some Savory Butternut Squash Soup for our customers to
try. We’re open at the Village Commons from 2 to 5 p.m., and we hope to
see you here!
***
Now
that our weather is getting colder, there’s nothing like a big bowl of hot soup
to take the chill off. Homemade soup is another comfort food, and there’s
no end to the different ingredients and flavors that can inspire a hearty
impromptu meal.
This
week at Pathfinder Produce, our healthy recipe of the week is for Savory
Butternut Squash Soup, which uses winter squash and carrots, and is
bursting with flavor and beta carotene. It also adds a bit of flair by
using a few apples and vegetable stock. It takes some time to make, but
there’s no reason you can’t start the process and tend to other chores or
hobbies nearby while it is simmering. (The recipe was also modified to use
almond milk as a lighter and healthier alternative to heavy cream).
Butternut
is admittedly my favorite winter squash and it tastes great simply roasted or
mashed. Back in my youth, I remember my aunt, who offered afterschool
cooking lessons for our local 4H Club members, showing us how to carefully
split the squashes lengthwise, and baking them with a brown sugar glaze.
Somehow
I’ve always thought that butternut was an “old time” variety, but according to
the web blog, applecountryliving.com, the squash was
developed in Massachusetts by a former life insurance company executive,
Charles A. Leggett, in the 1940s. Looking for a marketable crop, he
crossbred gooseneck squashes with Hubbard squashes (which are really tough
skinned), hoping to get something that was compactly shaped, medium-sized, and
fairly easy to cut. He was able to get both chefs and agronomists
interested in this new variety, and it didn’t take long for it to become
popular worldwide.
Growing
butternut squash is relatively easy … you plant the seeds in well-tilled soil
that is made into hills. Squashes don’t do well if they have their roots
disturbed, so it is best to directly plant the seeds once the threat of frost
is past. Once the seedlings are a few inches high, they do best if they
get steady amounts of water, according to backyard
vegetable gardening.com. Other sites advocate mulching the young plants and
indicate that the soil needs to be fertilized, as squashes tend to use lots of
nutrients. (As you may recall from an earlier post, the Native Americans
would add several fish to the squash hills, and would plant beans, squash and
corn all together as these plants “work together” for the benefit of each
plant).
Savory
Butternut Squash Soup
1
butternut squash; peeled, de-seeded, and cubed
2
carrots, cut in thick slices
1
medium onion, cubed
2
gala apples, peeled, cored, and cubed
3
cloves of garlic
2
tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2
bay leaves
1
tsp. dried thyme
1
tsp. of dried sage
1/2
tsp. salt
1/4
tsp. white pepper
1
cup almond milk
32
oz. vegetable stock, pre-made or from scratch
Preheat
oven to 425 degrees F. Toss squash, carrots, onion, apples, and garlic in large
bowl with olive oil and the dried herbs. Spread them on a baking sheet lined
with parchment paper or tin foil. Roast in oven for about 40 minutes, or until
squash is tender and lightly browned. Remove from oven and place the vegetable
mixture into a large crock pot on high. Add your vegetable stock, either
homemade or store-bought as time permits. Cook the soup for 1 hour in the
crock put, then working in 2-3 batches, puree the soup in a blender until
smooth. Add more vegetable stock if the soup is too thick. Stir in almond
milk until thoroughly mixed and serve!
Until
next time, enjoy this recipe for squash soup, and be well.
Lori
