I have been collecting squashes (is that a word?) for a few weeks now from farmers’ markets and CSA shares.  They take some time to roast and prepare so I’ve been putting it off.  Today was my day off (sort of) so I decided to tackle the job and roast a pumpkin, an acorn squash, and three butternut squashes.  (Note the foreshadowing in the photo)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My high school science teacher once told us that vegetarians were actually crueler to their food because they eat the vegetables raw.  When you crunch into that stalk of celery, the celery is actually screaming in pain.  At least meat-eaters cook their food first!  As I lined up the squash and got out the giant knife, I remembered his words and smiled and evil smile.

To start the roasting process, I first washed all of the gourds.  This is important especially when purchasing produce from farmers’ markets and CSAs because they maybe didn’t need to perfectly display the produce in a case in a fancy supermarket.  The acorn squash had lots of dirt stuck in its crevices, for example.

I cut them all in half, scooped out the seeds and gunk, and gave them a rub down on the inside with a little olive oil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I placed them cut-side down on parchment paper lined pans and into a 350° oven they went.  The butternut squash were done after about 45 minutes, and I put the pumpkin and acorn squash back in for another 20 minutes or so.

They came out slightly browned and wrinkly and awesome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve scooped out all the delicious and nutritious flesh and tucked them away in the fridge to become more delicious meals.  Stay tuned to see what those will be.

What is your favorite squash?