Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with squash

Very mild salad dressing for watercress salad?

Ollie — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 07:14:43 -0800

Had a watercress and squash salad at the Aeronuovo restaurant at JFK. It was awesome. The dressing tasted like it had no vinegar or acid at all. I'd like to duplicate this salad at home. I think it was small triangles of squash sauteed in butter and maybe honey, over a bed of watercress that was dressed in OO and salt and paper. Toasted slivers of almonds. Does this sounds plausible? Has anyone had this salad? Even if you haven't had it, if you were going to make it at home, would you make it like this?

please give me your summer squash recipes

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:57:54 -0800

I have 20 pounds (or more) of summer squash. What do I do with it? My CSA had extra summer squash (both crookneck and pattypan) that nobody else wanted, so I gave it a good home. Concurrently, my boyfriend acquired three giant zucchinis. Our refrigerator is about to burst. I need to cook something.

I read the askme thread on pickling it, which I'm not really into (kitchen has little enough room as it is), I made a squashy pasta sauce two nights ago, I made scrambled eggs and squash last night, am making zucchini bread tonight, making crookneck squash gratin tomorrow night, and after that I just don't know.

I have cast iron pans, a gas range and oven, and very little refrigerator space. Also, I am hosting an international potluck Saturday, so exotic globe-trotting recipes that would go over well at a potluck would be very useful.

What can I make with all of this squash?

PS: Anyone in the Syracuse area? I have some squash for you.

Can zucchini and butternut be grown in the same patch?

Jupiter Jones — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:04:10 -0800

I am trying to plant a traditional Three Sisters garden for the first time - corn, beans & squash in the same location as companion plants. Can I put two varieties of squash (yellow zucchini and butternut) in the same planting? I'd like to plant butternut squash and yellow zucchini. I want to conserve space in the garden a bit, as squashes are monsters, so I'd like to be able to incorporate both into the three sisters garden. From looking around I think that it should be ok because summer squashes (like zucchini) are cucurbita pepo and butternut is Cucurbita moschata. So, assuming they won't cross-pollinate, will they be alright in the same space? I'd like to get decent crops of both, and it would suck if they prevented each other from growing.

Where can I play squash in San Francisco? (And would optimally be able to bring guests?)

Pontius Pilate — Fri, 01 May 2009 11:11:58 -0800

Where can I play squash in San Francisco? (And would optimally be able to bring guests?) I will be in San Francisco starting in a few weeks and would love to find a place to play squash. I am fine with paying a membership fee; however, I am already a member of Gold's Gym, so ideally, I'd prefer not to have to sign up for a different athletic gym that just happens to have a squash court (though I would not be totally averse to it if there are no other options). It would also be great if I could bring non-member friends to play with me on occasion (maybe on a per-visit fee basis?). Anything in San Francisco, South San Francisco, or even San Mateo / Burlingame / etc. would be fine. Thanks!

This weekend's iron chef ingredient: pumpkin. Now please help me do it right!

olinerd — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 09:15:14 -0800

Help me cook with pumpkin. More information than you require inside. I have a couple of gatherings this weekend to which I am requested to bring food. I'm looking for savory recipes, not so much sweet, and I'm hoping to make things sort of fall/Halloween themed by using pumpkin.

I've been investigating recipes online and in my dad's Cooking Light magazines. I have a lot of questions now.

Parameters: I have access to Whole Foods (which carries pumpkins as well as various types of squash). I do NOT want to use canned pumpkin (which, oddly, is the only thing Cooking Light suggests using to cook). Completed food must be capable of surviving a ~30 minute subway ride and 10 minute walk tonight and/or a 20 minute car ride tomorrow. (So, like, soup is hard, as is anything that must be served immediately). There will be 10-15 people tonight (adults) and up to 30 people tomorrow (adults and small children).

So my questions:
(1) Purchasing pumpkin. I read in some places that Jack-o-lantern type pumpkins are no good but then some previous AskMe questions have people from non-US countries saying things like "oh yeah, we have slices of grilled pumpkin on the side for breakfast." Are we talking about different pumpkins here? Can I buy the big orange pumpkins that I see everywhere -- and which I saw in grocery store produce sections year-round in Mexico -- and successfully cook with them, or should I stick with butternut squash or something?

(2) What sort of cheese goes well with pumpkin? I've found a few recipes with things like goat cheese and feta, but I'm not such a fan of either of those. Does anyone have experience with something like cow's milk brie with pumpkin that has turned out well? (Modify to substitute other types of squash for "pumpkin" depending on your answer to question 1)

(3) I have a cheap-o blender but not much else for food processing (which I see in many pumpkin/squash recipes). What else can I do to make pumpkin/squash go from cubes to mash, if I need to? Can I cook it down (like I do with applesauce or mashed potatoes) and leave it a little chunky, or is processing necessary?

(4) Any recipes you personally recommend? I have a few things in mind -- mostly involving filo dough -- but I am open to other possibilities if you've made something you think is great. (I too can Google, so just pointing me to lists of recipes is not as helpful...)

(And if heresiarch is reading this, yes, at least half of this is for your thing tonight. I hope you appreciate my dedication.)

How does your butternut squash garden grow?

SpecialK — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:37:27 -0800

I'm growing a butternut squash plant for the first time. The plant has gotten rather huge and I need to knock it back a bit or give it somewhere else to grow, but I'm not sure how. The most I've raised before is tomatoes or peppers. I planted the plant in the back corner of my garden, giving it an area that's about 5 square feet to grow in. It's grown in that area right along my house and completely filled the, but now it's encroaching on my pepper plants. Since it's a vine, I'm afraid that it's going to start growing up the pepper plants, so I need to either guide it elsewhere (can I get a trellis and allow it to grow upwards?) or prune it to discourage growth in that direction. It has some nice fruit forming and has flowered along the length of the plant that is mature. This is in south/central texas, growing in dirt covered in bark dust on a half-sun (morning sun) side of the house.

(Even though squash and tomatoes are supposed to be grown full sun, I learned the hard way last year that you have to be very careful how much sun you let the plants get when there's drought restrictions on watering, like we may be facing here soon. The most I got last year planting on the full sun side of the house was some green dried tomatoes. And yes, I know I need to till deeper with better dirt to help develop the root systems better.)

Advice? Techniques? I'm used to pruning and staking my tomato and pepper plants to encourage maximum growth and fruit, but I've never done anything with ground-growing squash plants before, so advice that's even unrelated to the direct question will be helpful.

Squishy issue

bargex — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:42:36 -0800

Where can I play squash and or racquetball around Mountain View, CA? I'd like to get back into either squash or racquetball, but I don't know where to play. I live in Mountain View, CA, not far from Castro St. Anyone have experience with local courts? Where can I find good facilities? Convenient pick-up games?

Ideally, I'd like to find courts within 20 min drive from my home in Mountain View is okay - closer is better. I'm willing to join a gym/club to get access, if the facilities are good and the price is fair.

I Wish To Squish

Squee — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 02:31:11 -0800

SquishFilter: What else, besides coins, could I safely place on some railroad tracks for a bit of silly fun? When I was a kid, my mom used to bring home coins for me that she would squash by placing them on the railroad tracks near her work, then collecting them later after a train passed by. I loved them, though I was never present when the squishing took place.

I live by some active railroad tracks now, and fondly think of this every time I pass by. I've still never actually done it, but someone is coming to visit me soon and I thought this was something fun and silly that we could do together during a walk past the tracks.

Then I got to thinking about what else we could squash, besides coins. I have some old flat metal keys that I don't need anymore. I thought those might be fun to try and were coin-like enough to be....y'know....safe.

I also did a bit of googling and read in passing somewhere, that someone suggested squishing rings on the railroad tracks. There wasn't much detail about it though....I've got some old metal rings that I wouldn't mind experimenting with....

Is this a bad idea, for any reason - safety, legal, or otherwise? Should I just stick with coins?

Has anyone squashed anything with success on railroad tracks besides coins, before? Suggestions welcome. Please feel free to thwack me mercilessly if this is a bad idea, or chatfilter.

ID please, young plant!

RJ Reynolds — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 19:01:10 -0800

WTF is this plant that apparently we are growing very successfully? It is fruiting in some sort of squashey manner? It has leaves sort of like a cucumber meets a watermelon? It has tendrils and hairs (cilia?) much like a cucumber on its growing tips? Hey, it's doing REALLY WELL somehow!

Beginner Squash Equipment?

VillageLion — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 13:45:20 -0800

What do I need to start playing squash and where can I get it? I will be taking a beginner squash class at a local university in a couple of weeks. The class description says:

Proper athletic attire, including non-black-soled sneakers, squash racquet, double yellowdot balls, and goggles, is required.

What exactly should I buy? I understand that I need a racquet ,balls and googles, but I'm not sure what kind and from where. How much should I expect to spend?

Also, will my New Balance running shoes be acceptable or should I invest in some specialized footwear? Ideally, I'd like squash to become a regular hobby.

Where can i play squash in New York City?

elfollador — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 10:36:36 -0800

Where can i play squash in New York City? Hopefullly for cheap and without a membership. is that possible?

What tools will help me extract the delicious goodness of butternut squash from its hard waxy peel?

booksandlibretti — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 18:45:29 -0800

What tools are best for peeling and cubing butternut squashes? I'm not looking for recipes; I need recommendations for knives or vegetable peelers or whatever works best. I know about this post (recipes). I just want to peel the squash, cube it, and then steam it until it can be squished with a fork for a mashed-potato texture.

I love butternut squash prepared this way, but last year it took forever for me to peel and cube each squash, and my wrists would be aching by the end (and they're not weak -- I play piano). Maybe my cutting technique is wrong, rather than my tools -- apparently some people claim it's "easy to peel"! I already use just the neck, which has almost no seeds -- I don't fool around with the base. I'd appreciate any other tips you can give me along with knife recommendations.

I'm thinking maybe an offset knife would be good for the cubing? I could easily be wrong, though, and I have no idea what I can use to peel. Whatever sharp things you recommend, I'll probably use them on squash throughout the winter, and hopefully I can get more than one year out of 'em.

I'm a student on a pretty tight budget, and, unsurprisingly, cheap is good -- but my birthday is in November, so I'll probably be able to afford a bit more then. I cook a lot, but I don't have any really good knives; I'm not set up to sharpen anything, for example, and everything I have now is dishwasher-safe.

Why did Microwave burn the stem of squash

judybxxx — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 12:25:46 -0800

Microwave Puzzle - I cook a chunk of winter squash daily, for putting into rice and vegetables. last week I cooked a chunk with a woody stem maybe 3/4 " long, 1/3 " across, same amount of time as usual. (three minutes). the squash cooked fine, but by the end of the time, smoke was coming out of the microwave. I stopped it, half of the stem end was black, burned. I've cooked pieces with stems before, what happened? My theory is that it has something to do with the length/width ratio of the stem? This actually had embers inside when I knocked it off. I don't get it - you can put paper in the microvave, what was different in this case.

Squash!

kenko — Mon, 25 Oct 2004 11:38:22 -0800

What should I do with (acorn, butternut, other hard) squash? Also, does anyone think that a ricer would suffice for soups? I don't have a blender (I don't have a ricer either but imagine they're cheaper), and I used to have an awesome butternut squash soup recipe.

Zucchini Galore!

archimago — Mon, 19 Jul 2004 06:55:57 -0800

Squashfilter: I am on the verge of harvesting a LOT of zucchini from my garden. Is it possible to pickle it and preserve it in some way? Anyone have any good recipes? When I say a LOT, I mean more than we could possibly give away and eat before going bad. I'm already planning on making some bread out of it, and I've heard that you can also blanche it and freeze it, but I'm now investigating ways to preserve it in jars.