Winter Squash

My neighbor gave me some Hubbard Squash, and I had never seen such a crazy-looking thing! What's worse is that I had no idea how to prepare it.  We're not huge winter squash eaters...actually, we're not big summer squash eaters either.  I do like to sneak butternut squash to my roasted vegetables.  My kids think that they're carrots.  Shhh!  Don't tell them.

I like to make butternut squash ravioli with brown butter and sage.  However, I had two containers of butternut squash puree in the freezer when my neighbor brought the second Hubbard Squash over a few weeks after she gave me the first one.

So, then I had two of these monsters and still had no idea what to do with them.

I decided that I'd try to dehydrate them since I didn't have any specific plans for them.  The first thing I had to try to do was figure out how to get into the darned thing!  This was no easy task...these things have very thick skins!!!!

So, I took a lesson from the butternut squash.  I learned a neat way to peel them, so I tried it with the Hubbard.

Cut the squash

Scrape out the seeds

Cut it into "fingers"

Peel with a vegetable peeler

Then, I cut the squash into chunks and steamed them until they were tender...about 15 minutes. After they steamed, I put them into ice water and onto my dehydrator trays.

All done!!!!

I dehydrated them until they were completely dry...It took about 15 hours on my dehydrator and with the humidity in my house at the time.  Just be sure to check them after about 10 hours.

This happened last fall, and before I knew it, my husband had grabbed the seeds and thrown them into the garden.  Of course, then, we forgot that he did that.  So, when it came in this spring...in the middle of a flower bed, we weren't really sure what it was.  When I started to see these weird looking things appear, it hit me.  

I read that they can be harvested when they're round, small, and dark green...almost like an acorn squash.  So, we picked them then.  After they were harvested, they turned orange.  They look like deformed little sugar pumpkins.  I have five of them...and I'm not sure what to do with them!  

So, what did I do with the dehydrated Hubbard Squash from last year?  I put it in a chicken pot pie! I'll make that again next week, and I'll post the recipe then.  I still have plenty from last year, and I'll have plenty more this fall!!!

Here's one from this year!!!!!

What do you do with winter squash?

Thanks, and welcome to my world!