This weekend I harvested the acorn squash in my vegetable garden.
The largest ones are about the size of a volleyball. I had planted 6 groups of three seeds each (which exhausted the entire seed packet) and kept the strongest two plants in each group. After washing and drying them (hopefully in the sun) for a few days I’ll move them to the cold room for storage.
Aside from just cooking and eating them, I have a recipe (adapted from one for Pumpkin-Ginger Soup) that is a favourite of Audrey’s:
- 1 medium acorn squash
- ¾ cup raw unsalted cashews
- 2″ long piece of ginger root (Audrey really loves ginger)
- water
- salt to taste
- Soak cashews in water for several hours to soften them, producing a smoother soup
- Cut squash in half. Scoop out and discard seeds. Bake cut side down at 350°F until very tender and slightly browned (30-45 minutes).
- Scoop out the flesh from the squash. Purée in a blender in batches, adding water if necessary to keep it circulating. Water from soaking the cashews can be used. Put puréed squash in a saucepan or soup pot.
- Purée the cashews in blender until smooth, adding water as necessary. Add to squash.
- Peel ginger and slice thinly across the grain. Purée in blender until smooth, adding water as necessary. Add to squash and cashews.
- Stir soup and heat gently to blend flavours. Add water as needed to adjust consistency.
- Add salt to taste and serve.
You can also steam or microwave the squash but the browning from the oven adds to the flavour of the soup. A food processor can be used instead of the blender as long as it can produce smooth purées. For extra-smooth soup, pass it though a sieve to remove larger bits.
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