From Farm to Freezer: Butternut Squash

And here is installment #3 for my From Farm to Freezer series!

This time I'll show you what I've done with the butternut squash.

 

( reminder: I do not claim to be an expert, this is the first year that I've tried this - with the help of my friend Google (lol), I'm just really hoping for the best and that I can save my family some money! )

 

 

And here we go!

 

 

So first step would be to wash your squash. Mine had mud on them from being in a field.

 

Next you need to decide what you're going to do with the squash. I used 2 different methods. One was to freeze it raw, and other was to cook and freeze. It all depends on what you're going to do with it later, or even just convenience sake..

 

Method 1/Raw : Cut up your squash into large chunks, 'peel' the outer layer off, cut into smaller chunks, label your baggie, put into freezer bag, suck the air out with a straw, zip seal it quickly!

Freeze.

 

Method 2/Cooked: So there are 2 ways to cook and freeze (the method I didn't do was to cut as listed above and then to cook it in boiling water, puree, freeze)..I chose to do the roast, puree, then freeze.

So start by preheating your oven to 350, then cut your squash in half longway(from top to bottom), scoop out the seeds, then you're supposed to place your squash open side down in a pan that has about 1/2 inch water in the bottom - i used a Wilton deep lipped baking sheet/pan. Cook in the oven for approx 45 mins. Cool. Then scoop out the 'guts' into a large bowl and puree - i was going to use our immersion blender but the squash was really soft and i like a bit of texture. Measure out the amount you need and put into the freezer bags (ie. I used 2.25 cups in each bag) squeeze/suck out the air and quickly zip shut! Label and freeze!

 

 

Can last up to 6 mo in the freezer!

 

There is mixed info out there re: if you should freeze the squash raw or not. I'll let you know how it works out for me! I'm not planning on eating it just on it's own, it'll be in recipes and likely well-hidden(lol) so I'm not too concerned about it's texture, etc..

 

I also just read that you might be able to use just a regular ol' veggie peeler to peel the squash! Interesting! Will see if that works when I prepare the 3 more butternut squash in my kitchen that I picked at the U-Pick farm today!

 

 

Anywho..thanks for reading! Let me know what you do with your butternut squash! :)

 

Has anyone made butternut squash muffins?  I just read a fantastic recipe..apparently you can use it like pumpkin! Cool!