The Oil Drum

Here's a great recipe
http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/001439spicy_pumpkin_soup.php
good with any winter squash

"i grew 9 varieties of squash."

a local asian restaurant grows food practically in their parking lot. they grow all around the property in a very urban environment. he grows chinese(or asian or hong kong I forget) squash that doesn't touch the ground and is about 2 feet long.

Try making soup.

Your storage is probably *way* too cold. "Putting Food By" says to root cellar winter squash the same as pumpkins, which it says should be in dry air at about 55 F. "Root Cellaring" says the same, but acorn squash like it a bit cooler, 45 to 50 F. Both say that at temperatures below that you'll get chill damage; probably first soft spots then quickly rotting. The damage may be done by this point, but do yourself a favor and get them out of that cold fast!

Well please tell me how to get rid of squash vine borer!!
Our squash yields have collapsed the past few years because of the #@$#@$ things. I've tried to excise them from the vines with a knife - the only solution was growing squash in manure so that it can outgrow the buggers (for a while anyways).

I just microwave the squash and eat it raw. Acorn is nice but buttercup is best - firm, dry and sweet. Butternut with sautee'd onions and garlic makes a great soup.

Squash cookies - 1c buttercup, 2c whole wheat flour, 1/4c sugar <1/4c choc chips, 1tsp baking soda, 1tsp baking powder - 350F for 15 min.

Our best squash always seem to be the volunteers that get into the soil via the compost - not the ones we start indoors and keep safe until the frost is over!

We like to prep our Butternut or Acorn by slicing them into 1/4"-3/8" slices, then coating them with oil or butter. Try not to slice your fingers off though! Then just cook them on cookie sheets. Goes with almost any meal and makes for great snack food the next day. Oh yeah, almost forgot my favoite part, leave the skin on and coat it too as it can be very tasty and not tough at all (depending on the squash}.

I really liked these 2 food related posts. Led to something very positive in the comments. Well done!

I grow a few sets of zucchini but I love sweet potatoes more.

I usually bake them but they are good fried.

A new recipe suggest cutting them into spears and baking them then dipping in a apricot sauce. Haven't tried it yet.

I have my sweet potatoes sitting in my living space. They need the warmth to further cure and this way I can keep my eyes on them. Ditto my dug potatoes. With these two items and shelled corn plus some combined wheat(soft red winter) I think I could survive til next season if everything shut down today.

I am planning on building an outdoor Pompeii type Italian outdoor oven. This will wean me from gas/lp. I will put it in my enclosed back porch. I also must brought 3 wood burning stoves for the same reason.

I was going to vote 75-100 but as yet I still buy some items yet I am about 80% for full time shutdown. I have a few more projects first..such as a full blacksmithing setup with charcoal and gathering piles of scrap metal of which I already have a large amount.

I have been a blacksmith for the last 30 yrs but my anvils and forges left with the last auction. I am starting over but it a far different direction this time. This will be my main means of surviving in the hoped for barter system.

I was going to put a shower in my new living quarters but decided that its not necessary and a waste. My grandparents never had them. In the summer when one perspires you can use a simple garden hose and its already heated by laying in the sun.

I am gathering up a large used satellite dish to make a solar collector and then check out the stirling engine so the heat can run it and power blacksmithing tools such as grinder,lathe,drill etc.

airdale

airdale