Spork and Knife

Ohh the trip to the pumpkin patch! No matter how old I get, I vow to never skip such a great fall ritual.

This past weekend some friends and I made the trip up to Homestead Farms. We’ve been a few times since moving to D.C. and without fail, as we drove down the dusty road in the middle of Poolesville, MD each of us was taken back by the vast and colorful landscape before us. There’s something about seeing rolling hills of nothing but greenery and farm land that acts as a little “Chicken soup for the soul.”

After spending the day frolicking in the fields, eating candy apples, posing with scarecrows and picking out our Halloween pumpkins we spent a few minutes in Homestead’s country store. There were rows of pumpkin butter jars, apple butter jars, apple cider and every type of preserve imaginable.

As I stood in line waiting to bag up my bounty I noticed crates and crates of the fall squash crop just begging to be taken home and cooked up. Since the acorn squash were closest, I grabbed a few (or 7) to take home for the night’s dinner.

The easy and very successful recipe I cooked up follows:

First off, you have to know how to pick a good squash. Here are some tips…

• Search for one with a smooth and dry exterior. Make sure there are no cracks or dents in the skin.
• The rind should be dull. A shiny rind means the squash was picked too early
• Look for one with a dark color. Some of the green acorn squash I picked through had splotches of orange. A little splotch is ok (it means maturity) but anything that covers over half of the squash’s surface is bad.
• The squash should feel heavy (relatively speaking)

YOU WILL NEED

• Acorn squash (halved)-as many as you like
• Salted butter-stick or container…you’ll be adding 1 tbsp to each half.
• brown sugar-1 1/2 tbsp. per each half

COOKING

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees
2. Get a large cutting board and start slicing the squash in half, lengthwise. (The same direction as the notches in the squash) You’ll need a big knife for this job…remember when I said that all Kitchens should have one good knife…if not read here.
3. Scoop out all of the seeds and stringy parts in the middle of the squash.
4. Place the squash open side up on a baking sheet/pan.
5. To prevent burning, fill the pan with 1/4 inch of water.
6. Add 1 tbsp of butter and 1 1/2 tbsp. of brown sugar to the hollow scoop of each half. (some people also add a dash of maple syrup, but I don’t think the extra sugar is needed)
7. Place squash in the oven for roughly 45-60 minutes or until tender.

ENJOY!

This is a sweet version of acorn squash. Play around with other forms of savory foods if you’re in the mood. Bacon and various nuts come to mind as a good stuffing.