Lakota Squash

 There is nothing better than a bowl of hot squash soup on a cold and wintry day. 

  We save our squash seeds from year to year. Lakota Squash is an American Squash cultivated by Native American Tribes as early as the 16th Century. 

Most of our Hubbard (green) Squash have taken on more and more of the Lakota characteristics.  The bees, birds and insects are to blame. 

 Cut up squash into large chunks. Remove seeds and bake at 350 for an hour or until soft.  After baking, mash the pulp and use in recipes for soups, breads, cookies, muffins, vegetable side dishes and more. 

Squash bread fresh out of the oven.  

  

Everyone likes (loves) my squash bread.

Squash pulp freezes well and is ready to use throughout the winter.

All winter squash are loaded with vitamins.  They keep well and are fun to grow.  They never disappoint. 

Until you grow your own, pick up a squash from your local grower and find out for yourself how versatile they are.

Have a wonderful week my dear Friends, 

Gina

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And happy to be here.

Lot's of work waiting for me.

It was a very good year.
Every fruit tree is laden.

Canadian Geese never left.
They are gorging themselves on fallen apples and pears. 





Clyde and Lola have decided to get along with the interlopers after all.

Have already filled many shelves in the cellar.

Lakota squash are stored. 

Love them all, flowers and fruit.

Himrod grapes take longer to ripen
Interlaken grapes were harvested before we left for Europe.

A few stragglers left.

I don't think that the little apple tree will make it through the winter.  
We will try and prop it up and see what happens. 
It bears delicious apples.  Don't want to lose it.







Time to admire the evening light and recharge.

Hope you are taking time out to enjoy your surroundings.  

Gina

https://normandylife.blogspot.com/

My garden is growing...all by itself.

My garden

Nasturtiums for salads

Onions are almost fully grown.

Our favorite squash, Lakota, is doing well in the new patch.

Foxglove and State Fair Zinnias provide lots of color.

The Italians only grow one kale.

Lacinato Nero de Toscana.

There is a reason.  It is delicious, nutritious and easy to grow and handle.  

These peppers where planted by mistake.  They are quite large.  

Do you know what they are? And do you have a recipe?  Could one stuff them? 

My tuberous begonias never disappoint.  I can't remember how old they are.  

They go into a dark corner in my greenhouse and I don't see them until April of the following year.  

Everything is maturing all at once...there is not enough time in the day to get it all harvested. 

There will be lots of vegetables and fruits to share with friends and neighbors 

There will be lots of apples this year for the pig farmer.

This turned out to be the best mixed lettuce seed packet. 

I'm heading for Italy soon.  Will look for another.

This is one of the last hollyhocks, a reminder to gather their seeds. 

My old rose bushes surprise me with a few blooms now and then.  

Wishing you a great week ahead.

Gina 

https://betweennapsontheporch.net/

So delicious and so easy

My very special Squash Bread Recipe

This is a Lakota Squash, any winter squash will do. 

Squash Bread Recipe

2 cups of cooked squash

3 eggs beaten

2 cups sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

3 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup light olive oil 

3/4 cup chopped nuts
1 cup of almond meal (optional)

1/2 cup golden raisins

Mix all ingredients

juice and grated zest from one lemon and one orange

Mix together

Add 3 cups of flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda. 

Mix by hand with wooden spoon until all ingredients are 

well incorporated. 

Grease 2 loaf pans 

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes and reduce heat to 300 and bake another 15 to 20 minutes. Test with toothpick.  

This is the bread to bake.  It is foolproof. 

Squash bread freezes well. 

Recipe also makes great tasting muffins. 


Bake something and have fun.

Gina

https://betweennapsontheporch.net/
http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/

You can take THAT to the bank.

That's what happens when you live in a small community.

You share.

It has become tradition. 

Mr G fills the truck with our home grown Lakota and Hubbard Squash and drives them to our local bank.

 Everyone at the bank gets to pick their favorites.  

The red are Lakota Squash...my favorite. 

The green are Hubbards.

 Because we save the seeds from year to year we can see an evolution of new color combinations. 
 The bees are to blame.

 You have heard of Mutation.  Without mutation life can not continue.  

We have no idea what kind of squash this is (maybe you do).  Two of them showed up in our squash patch for the first time this year.  

We have not introduced any new seeds into our field.  

Have we come up with a new variety?  

Can't wait to see how they taste.  

Make every moment count.  
Life is short, eat dessert first. 

Gina

http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

There is more than one way

to tackle the largest Lakota squash we grew this past Summer!

We need to cut this squash into pieces so it will fit into our oven.

 Winter squash needs to age for about 3 months.  A cool place in the cellar is a good spot. 

Instead of using a large kitchen knife it occurred to Mr G that 

his hand saw would do a much better and a much safer job.  

The seeds will be scooped out and saved for next year. 
(Or you can roast them, they are delicious). 

The above Lakota is a 10th generation squash from our field. 

Large pieces will be baked at 350 degrees for one hour and a half.  

The meat will be soft and creamy, like mashed potatoes. 

Individual packages of baked squash are frozen to use in breads, soups and as vegetable side dishes. 

They will provide many meals. 

 You can't just grow a few squash.  Our ducks, geese and ground critters all like the little seedlings in the Spring.  So we grow many plants hoping for only a few survivors but often end up with too many. 

Next year come by and when you see boxes of squash at the top of our lane, please help yourself. 

Gina

https://betweennapsontheporch.net/

He will never make it!

This little upstart of a Lakota squash.

There he is, only 2 days old.

Little further up on the stalk is a blossom wilting and the newborn, one day old squash. 

There are only a few blossoms in my Squash Patch.  All of the energy of the plant is going into making great big and beautiful Lakota Squash.

This fellow is one of the smallest. 

Those out in the patch are way too big.  I couldn't carry even one into the house.  

 Cucumbers "got away from us".  These are too big to eat and so they will go to the pig farmer down the road.  

My Asters showing off. 

As you might recall, I collected these aster seeds more than forty years ago.  

The Ancestors of my asters were growing through a fence by Lake Maggiore,  Italy.    

Little worms were eating my Salpiglossis, a flower I must have in my garden. 
 After removing all of the old soil, so far, the little beasts have not shown up this year...but they will, they always do. 

The "sky blue"  petunias have the most intoxicating scent.

It is easy gardening when your flowerbeds meet you half way. 

They go all the way around three sides of our house.  

"Madame Butterfly" snapdragons add a burst of color. 

Cosmos are taller than I am (which is not saying much). 

And I'm off to Paris.  

Thank you for reading me and thank you also for sharing with me your time and your creativity. 

Gina