Even though the 2010 Market Season ended on October 7, we will still be posting information about the 2011 Farmers' Market on our Facebook Profile page.

You are invited to visit often to learn about upcoming special events, recipes, previews of vendors and much more.

Ingredients:

1. Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and nutmeg; sauté for approximately 5 minutes or until onion begins to brown.
3. Add squash, 4 1/4 cups broth, apple, and apple juice/sweet cider.
4. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered for approximately 30 minutes, or until squash and apple are tender.
5. Working in batches, purée soup in blender (or with a hand blender in a bowl) until smooth.
6. Return soup to pot and season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Bring soup to simmer, thinning with more broth if desired.
8. Ladle soup into bowls.
9. Garnish with sour cream and chives.
10. Enjoy!

• While squash is indigenous to many parts of the globe, archaeological evidence suggests that squash may have been first cultivated in Mesoamerica some 8,000 to 10,000 years ago.
• Squash was one of the "Three Sisters" planted by Native Americans. The "Three Sisters" were the three main native crop plants: maize (corn), beans, and squash. These were usually planted together, with the cornstalk providing support for the climbing beans and shade for the squash, while the squash's vines provided ground cover to limit weeds.
• North America, squash is loosely grouped into summer squash or winter squash, depending on whether they are harvested as immature fruit (summer squash) or mature fruit (autumn or winter squash).
• Summer squashes, including zucchini, pattypan and yellow crookneck are harvested during the growing season, while the skin is still soft and the fruit rather small; they are eaten almost immediately and require little to no cooking
• Winter squashes (e.g. vegetable spaghetti, butternut, hubbard, buttercup, ambercup, acorn, spaghetti squash and pumpkins) are harvested at maturity, generally the end of summer.
• Like other richly colored vegetables, winter squash is an excellent source of carotenes. Generally, the richer the color, the richer the concentration. They also offer a very good source of vitamins B1, B6 and C, niacin, folic acid, pantothenic acid, fiber, and potassium.
• Since summer squash have a high water content, they are not as nutrient-dense as the winter varieties, however they still provide several nutritional benefits.  They are low in calories and provide a decent amount of vitamin C, potassium, and carotenes.
• In addition to the fruit, other parts of the plant are edible:
• Squash seeds can be eaten directly, ground into paste, meal, "nut" butter, even a fine flour, or pressed for vegetable oil.
• The shoots, leaves, and tendrils can be eaten as greens.
• The blossoms (e.g. Zucchini flowers) are an important part of native American cooking and are also used in many other parts of the world.