Fall Crops Begin - Leeks and Winter Squash

Well, it definitely feels like fall as I write this, but it is supposed to warm up significantly in a couple of days. September is what I think of as the crossover season. We still enjoy our favorite summer crops of tomatoes, eggplant and peppers, and we begin to see fall crops like more greens, leeks and winter squash.

I think most people are familiar with leeks - delicious in soups and stews! If you purchase leeks in the store, you probably dread cleaning them because the sandy soil they are grown in is difficult to remove. Anchor Run leeks are so much easier - they just need a simple rinse - nothing in between all the layers! Leeks store really well in the refrigerator so if you are like me and still have onions left, use them up before using your leeks.

Winter Squash - the farmers grow many different kinds of squash - the first ones we will see are spaghetti, dumpling and acorn. All winter squash store well in cool, dry conditions. A basement is ideal. Right now the garage would be good, but with the warm up coming this week, it will not be the best location. Acorn will store the longest of the three, but they will all be good for at least 3 months - they won't last that long in my home! Farmer Derek note: We recommend eating these three winter squash varieties sooner rather than later due to field conditions they grew in and elements that they were exposed to: humidity, bugs, disease pressures, etc. A slight, even unnoticed blemish, will quickly deteriorate the squash in storage. At the farm we're still fine-tuning winter squash growing, harvesting, and storing; this season we're storing them at 50 degrees which should preserve them longer. For us, butternuts seem to keep longest.

Spaghetti Squash when cooked is what it sounds like - it comes out of the shell in strings, or spaghetti. There are many ways to cook it - steam, microwave or bake. They can be cooked whole or cut in half and cooked. I have had the most reliable success of cooking to the right texture by cutting them in half and baking with the cut side down until a fork goes through fairly easily. Time has to be watched because these squash come in so many sizes - start checking at about 30 min for a small one baked at 375. Check out this site for many spaghetti squash recipes including Italian Spaghetti Squash which I really like for now because it incorporates pepper and tomatoes. Replace the basil with parsley. Also try the Spaghetti Squash and Pork Stir Fry - Yum! Or, cook the squash and top with your favorite sauce.

Dumpling and Acorn Squash are a couple of my favorites. The flavor of them is so sweet. They are also small so a half makes a perfect sized side dish. Just cut in half, remove seeds, place a bit of butter on the cut part, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake till tender. Or, add honey or maple syrup and a bit of cinnamon for a real taste of fall. One of the dishes I like for this time of year is the Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash. It again incorporates summer veggies and tastes more like summer - perfect for this "crossover" season.