October 29, 2005

Virginia Cooperative Extension’s own Tree Stewards will again set up at the AFM this Saturday, October 29th, 8 to 11 AM to help answer your tree care questions about pruning, planting, watering, selection, mulching, and ground cover. This will be the last weekend of the season for them, so be sure to bring all your fall care and winter prep questions. And remember, you can get horticultural help all year round from VCE’s Master Gardeners at 703-228-6414 or on-line at ext.vt.edu.

Continuing our Winter Squash theme this month, here is a link to the Nutrition Action News Letter’s column, Healthy Cook: Squash Season in the October 2005 issue: http://www.cspinet.org/nah/index.htm

Here you’ll find a recipe for Sweet Potato Soup. I trust AFM patrons will use fresh cooked pumpkin instead of canned, and a vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. You'll want to consider the Glazed Acorn Squash, or the Butternut Squash and Vegetable Strata for upcoming holiday feasts.

There’s also a Roasted Winter Medley of parsnips, butternut squash and fennel where you can substitute onion for the fennel and potatoes for the parsnips, or carrots for the squash. Play around, you get the idea.

And a reminder to use a sturdy serrated knife to cut winter squash, or some cooks keep a small handsaw in the kitchen drawer. Another method is to use a hammer to tap the knife through the squash. Make sure you have a long enough blade to extend through the squash, and the squash is well braced. And don't forget to toast and season the seeds for another tasty snack.