Recipe: Roasted Acorn Squash with Cumin Butter

Recently, a garden friend gave me an acorn squash. I have to say that I am not a big fan of this particular vegetable. It's a textural and partly taste issue. After a long list of attempted and discarded recipes, I tried this recipe from one of my favorite vegetable cookbooks by Jack Bishop, Vegetables Every Day. This cookbook is absolutely amazing because the recipes are simple but highlight the complex flavors of different vegetables. If you recently purchased a share in a CSA, community supported agriculture, program, then I would definitely recommend checking this book out.

Ingredients:

• 1 acorn squash, cut in half, cleaned of pulp and seeds
• 3 T butter
• 1 t cumin
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Place the acorn squash pieces, cut-side down, on a baking sheet coated in cooking spray.
3. Roast the squash for about 45 minutes.
4. Melt the butter, add cumin, salt, and pepper.
5. Brush the cumin butter over the squash halves and serve.

Pest: Slugs

Warm days, opening tunnel, surprise frost, slugs: who are you gonna call? Night feeding mollusks. Midnight cow.

Disaster this September, I diligently seeded 18 varieties of lettuce, for the second year, to continue with a winter lettuce variety trial. All of the varieties germinated and then the slugs struck. I have started a new garden this year and at first was at a loss. Chipmunk, rodent, slug? It is confirmed--- SLUGS!!!!

Well it is now the first week of November, what to do? I've decided that I will reseed as many varieties as possible along with mache and spinach. After seeding, I will apply a liberal dusting of diatomaceous earth to the soil surface.

Update to follow . . .

Planting the seeds of a low tunnel revolution

Last month, a group of volunteers helped to set-up a pilot low tunnel for the Gardening for Good project at Troy Community Gardens. Gardening for Good is a supported gardening project that hosts regular activities and special events to bring gardening to people with developmental disabilities. To learn more about Gardening for Good, go here.

I had a tremendous amount of fun sharing what I had learned after just two years of winter growing with unheated low tunnels. The summer gardening season is starting to wind down and I hope to have a little more time this winter to share some stories and ideas about extending the season in Wisconsin.