We adore all winter squash. When we were on the farm, we had a root cellar and could keep the squash we grew right through the winter. I would go move it around once a month; rot tends to set in where the skin touches a surface. If something was looking over-ripe, or getting a soft spot I would preserve it.

I’m finding this apartment is too warm to keep squash well. There just isn’t a cool place anywhere. And I do tend to over buy; love supporting the local growers! So today I was preserving some butternut and acorn squash.

I simply cut them in half, scoop out the seeds and roast at 375 F, for about an hour. I am really casual about this, I’ve done it for so many years. I don’t puree the flesh, I just mash it a bit with the fork I’ve used to remove the flesh from the skin. A little butter but no seasoning because I will use these for sweet as well as savory cooking. I then pack them in two cup portions in freezer bags for flat stacking in the freezer. It can be a little messy but I feel like I’m being ‘crafty’ or DIYish.

What will I make with these? No canned pumpkin puree in this home! I do the two cup portions because it’s just what I need for this awesome muffin recipe. Two cups is also a good size for a pasta sauce like this delicious Butternut and Bacon pasta sauce. My portion is a little big for this Oatmeal Butternut Cookie but a half a cup of puree can glaze some carrots or something. Remember, all the winter squash are interchangeable so oatmeal acorn cookies could be a thing, or Delicata and bacon pasta sauce. A Hubbard squash is still my favourite for a ‘pumpkin’ pie.

While you’re working in the kitchen you could roast the seeds for snacking. All winter squash seeds are edible. The pumpkin seeds that can be purchased as pepitas are a special type of pumpkin called an Oil Seed, Stygian or hulless pumpkin. The seeds from your Halloween decoration will not be as yummy. You can, of course, save seed to plant next year unless you have a hybrid variety. The acorn squash ‘Celebration’ is a hybrid of Acorn and Delicata and will not come true from seed. You will most likely get something edible but the shape and colours may vary. A seed catalogue should state whether the offering is a hybrid.

When we were on the farm we found our chickens and goats loved raw winter squash. For the chickens we would cut it open but the goats got them whole. It was quite amusing to watch them trying to break into a hard-shelled squash. Nothing goes to waste!

Happy cooking!