I long for the bulbs to arrive, for the early autumn chores are melancholy, but the planting of bulbs is the work of hope and always thrilling.

-Mary Sarton

Dear Friends,

     Do you have alien looking squashes still sitting on your kitchen counter?  Yellow oblong things too hard to cut, orange pumpkin, butternut or smaller yellow/green dappled objects?  It's ok.  You can say yes.  They are all classified as 'winter or hard' squashes and you're not alone.  It's been a hot spring and summer and if your most recent electric bill has given you a shock, you're reluctant to turn on your oven let alone try to find a hatchet in the garage or find  a gullible someone with more muscles than you?

Same thing with me.  So when I lined up my uncooked squashes and the large Russet potatoes we sent , I turned the oven on to 400* and with no malice in my heart, proceeded to stab them all with a paring knife!  That was it.  Put them in the oven, checked after 40 minutes and viola! the smaller Delicata squashes were soft to the touch and all the others on their way.

We enjoyed the potatoes with dinner and covered the cooked squashes on the breadboard with a cloth.  The next morning with renewed energy, peeled, de-seeded and cut up the squashes.  Then, with the exception of the butternut, put them in containers, labeled and froze for later.  So easy.  I'll never be intimidated or procrastinate by alien squash again.