I had forgotten just how good a fresh acorn squash can taste.
When we lived in West Virginia, Daddy always had a big garden. And I was chief weed puller for all his spreads. Just about the time a big whiffle ball game was set to start, I was summoned to the garden. The green beans or tomatoes needed picking, weeded or dusted. I swore back then I would never have a garden, but there was always something about seeing those first seeds sprout each April.
Spring was on the way.
One of things Daddy always planted was acorn squash. They did quite well in the West Virginia loamy soil and mild climate. By late July we had acorn squash coming out of the wazoo, but boy were they good!
Acorn squash can be baked, microwaved, sautéed or steamed. They can be stuffed with rice, meat or veggies. The seeds of the squash can also be eaten, after being toasted.
Our favorite way to cook them was to slice them in half, remove the seeds, bake in the oven till tender, then add butter and brown sugar. It was like eating dessert.
This spring, Nancy decided to plant acorn squash in one of her large, above-ground planters on the driveway/patio. The plant did well and produced the first acorn squash just this week. I cooked it as we always did and when we ate the first bite – what a contrast between just-picked and a squash from the store. All those acorn squash in the stores were likely grown in Mexico and have been in storage or on a truck for several weeks or more before we buy them. They don’t taste like the same animal. There is nothing better than a newly picked acorn squash – tender, moist and delicious.
If you don’t have a garden, you can at least have a large pot. Fill it with garden soil, plant a few seeds, keep the plant watered and you, too, can enjoy an acorn squash the way it’s meant to be.