I think it started when I read
Diana's latest post, about Mabon. I don't celebrate any pagan holidays... heck, I barely celebrate secular ones. And I was a little surprised when I realized her post was about acting like a squirrel and not about eating one. The idea of putting away food now, and being grateful for my foresight later, really touched me. I don't can or dehydrate, but I do have plenty of freezer space. I have cooked and frozen some meat recently, but I've been slacking on the vegetables.
So here's what I made last night:
Herbed Squash and Fennel
- 4 bulbs fennel
- 1 red kuri squash (also known as a hokkaido or potimarron)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- sage
- thyme
- rosemary
Peel and chop the squash. Slice the fennel crosswise into about 1 inch slices. Put in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with herbs, and mix. Roast at 375 for about 45 minutes, until the squash is tender.
I liked it. The fennel stays rather firm when roasted (it was my first time cooking it that way) but it's sort of a nice contrast to the softness of the cooked squash. It tasted very autumn-y. =] I'm not sure how the squash will turn out after freezing... I've seen mention of it being frozen in chunks, but I've only ever frozen mashed/pureed squash before.
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| I didn't get a photo until after we had eaten. |
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| Closeup! |
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| And here it is ready to go in the freezer for later. |
I also roasted the rest of my tomatoes to turn into tomato sauce, since some of them were getting a little soft. I've got plans to blanch some green beans and freeze those, too. My bag of veggie scraps is getting awfully full, so I need to make some stock. And tomorrow when I pick up my share from the CSA, you better believe I'll be thinking, "which of these things do I want to freeze for later?"
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| Pretty multicolored tray of tomatoes. |
I also just wanted to share this picture because it makes me laugh every time I walk in the kitchen and see it. We had a visitor last weekend and decided to restock our liquor collection, since we were down to one tiny bottle of rum. (I say "we" but my husband really doesn't drink.) I think we bought enough to last us about 5 years. We then took a wine tour, where I bought a few bottles along the way, including two of my favorite
Bellwether ciders. Now I can't figure out where to store it all. =P It looks pretty, for now, anyway! (Thanks to Kia and Toyota - we paid for all of this using the cards they send to my husband for selling cars.)
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| Shiny! |
I've got a plan in the works to photograph and post an entire weeks worth of meals. And I mean EVERYTHING I eat, which has been 3 meals a day recently. I'm not sure if I'll start tomorrow (Saturday), Sunday, or Monday. But stay tuned.
