Winter Squash Storage Tips

Do any of you have an overabundance of winter squash at your house right now? Sometimes getting through all the delicious winter squash can feel like a challenge. But not to worry, we have some tips on how to use and store your squash for winter.

One of the ways we like to store our winter squash is to freeze it. You can do this with a variety of winter squash, like butternut, delicata and red kuri. If you use red kuri (shown below) or delicata, you don't have to peel it!

Freezing Directions:

For Delicata or Red Kuri Squash
Rinse and scrub the squash. Cut in half and scoop out the seeds to save for roasting later. Slice the delicata into 1/2-inch slices and spread on a baking sheet. Cut the red kuri into cubes and spread on a baking sheet. Try to leave some room so they can freeze easily. Place in the freezer overnight or until frozen.

For Butternut Squash or Pumpkin
Peel the squash. Cut in half and scoop out the seeds to save for roasting later. Cut into cubes and spread on a baking sheet. Try to leave some room so they can freeze easily. Place in the freezer overnight or until frozen.

No need to cook the squash before you freeze it. Note, if you do, it speeds along the process of the dish you add it to.

Once frozen, dump the squash into an airtight container to store in the freezer. To use, throw the frozen cubes directly into whatever you're cooking without thawing first. Thawing first will make your squash mushy. Here are some recipes you can make with the frozen squash:

Roasted Squash Salad with Goat Cheese
Butternut Squash and Potato Curry
Crockpot Chili (This recipe doesn't call for squash, but it would be a delicious addition! Just add the squash in when you add in the bell peppers and carrots)
Delicata Squash, Kale and Shiitake Rice Pilaf
Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Seeds

Another way we like to use our squash is to peel it (for butternut), cut into cubes and store in our fridge for up to a week. You'll find you are much more likely to use the squash if you have it pre-cut and ready to use.  They are wonderful in the recipes mentioned above, or you can roast them on a baking sheet with a little bit of olive oil and salt at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until golden brown. We love roasted squash as a healthy, quick side dish. Or, you can substitute butternut squash for the pumpkin in this Homemade Pumpkin Bread.

Do you have any recommendations for using winter squash? Let us know in the comments below!

How To Add Squash To Your Delivery: CSA members - head on over to our online Farm Stand Market to customize your upcoming delivery. The Market is open from noon on Thursday until 10 am, 2 days before your scheduled delivery day. After you confirm your produce items, click the orange button "Confirm and Continue To Other Farm Products" to add the products to your delivery. 

Not part of our farm family? Find out if we deliver to your neighborhood.

Thank You at Thanksgiving

From the Fields - Thaddeus

There are many things that I love about my job - the beauty of the farm, toiling with Mother Nature, watching things grow - but there is one thing that I love most about my job, and it is the random places I run into all of you. 

It generally happens one of two ways. For some reason, I am at a home that I haven’t been to before (a friend of family most often), and I see a Farm Fresh To You box in the house or the newsletter on the fridge. The second way is I am walking down a street I have never walked before, and I see Farm Fresh To You boxes neatly stacked on porch waiting for their driver to pick them up. Bumping into Farm Fresh To You customers at your homes is the without a doubt the thing I love most about our work. It makes the produce we grow and the service we provide real – thank you!

It is the season to sit down with loved ones, enjoying each other and giving thanks. For many families, including my own, food makes this list. For this farmer, all of you, my most valuable customers, make this list. I am so thankful for all of you and the support you offer our farm family. You may not know how amazing you are and why I am so thankful for all of you, so here is a short list.

1. You have made a choice to trust us to feed you and your family on a routine basis. The routine part of this is huge. The routine part enables me to make a planting schedule that goes through the year and that I am confident we can sell. The routine part allows us to provide work for our farm team through the year, and it enables us to develop delivery routes that provide stable work for our driving and packing team. Your routine support of our farm (and I mean every delivery) is the backbone of our existence.

2. You are the best supporter of local produce. Every week our team finds the best local selection possible and every delivery you support that selection. When you receive a Farm Fresh To You delivery, you support, dollar for dollar, local and organic produce in a way that you could not do at a retail store, even if you tried.

3. You care about how the food system affects you AND others (even if you don’t know it!). Farm Fresh To You customers know they are getting healthy food, but they may not know they are creating healthy work environments for our family of employees and healthy places to live for the many living things that are part of our farm’s ecosystem.

The second group of people I am thankful for is our family of employees. What we are doing is pretty amazing. We have successfully created a vertically integrated food system, literally from the fields of our farm to the doorsteps of our customers. We could not do this without the talented teams of people that make every part of our food system work in harmony. These folks are of the heart and soul of our company, and I am proud be able to work with them.

Get Your Greens On Juice

Get your greens on, get your greens on! This healthy green juice with kale, apples, parsley and lime is the perfect way to start your morning on the right foot. Loaded with tons of vitamins -- and calcium from the kale -- this juice will totally make up for those cookies you eat later on.

Get Your Greens On Juice

Ingredients:
(makes 1 juice)

1/2-1 head of kale, depending on how much you like the flavor (we used purple, but any kale will do)
1/2 bunch parsley
2 apples (we used Granny Smith, but feel free to sub any apple)
1 lime

Directions:

Blender/Food Processor Directions: Cut the apples and remove the seeds and stems. Cut into small chunks and add them to the blender or food processor and process with a little bit of water until smooth. Tear the kale leaves from the stems and add them to the blender. Process until smooth. Chop the parsley and add that to the blender and blend until combined. Strain if desired. Slice the lime into wedges. Pour the juice into a glass and squeeze the lime wedges over the juice. Enjoy! 

Juicer Directions: Cut the apples in half or quarters and remove the seeds and stems. Feed them down the chute one at a time until processed. Add the parsley down the chute. Add the stalks of kale one or two at a time down the chute until processed. Slice the lime into wedges. Pour the juice into a glass and squeeze the lime wedges over the juice. Enjoy! 

How To Add Juicing Fruits and Vegetables To Your Delivery: CSA members - head on over to our online Farm Stand Market to customize your upcoming delivery. On the second page of customizations, you’ll find “Produce by the Case” and can stock up if you want a larger batch of produce for juices. The Market is open from noon on Thursday until 10 am, 2 days before your scheduled delivery day. After you confirm your produce items, click the orange button "Confirm and Continue To Other Farm Products" to add the products to your delivery. 

Not part of our farm family? Find out if we deliver to your neighborhood.