The Winter Squash Table Queen Blush Acorn seeds we planted from Sow True Seed produced great for us this summer. My favorite way to cook acorn squash is tasty and super easy.
To prepare acorn squash for cooking-slice clean acorn squash in half and remove seeds. Using a spoon to scoop or scrape out the seeds and membrane surrounding them works best.
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place acorn squash in a casserole or baking dish. Put a teaspoon or so of butter in each acorn squash half and then drizzle with sorghum. Season to your liking-I used a little salt and black pepper.
Cover the dish with foil and bake until done-depending on the size of your acorn squash. It took about 30-45 minutes for mine to cook.
Serve the acorn squash-straight from the oven-as they are better when they’re first cooked.
Do you have a favorite way to cook acorn squash?
Tipper
Dee-thank you for the comment! I think it would be worth trying! The seeds seem so similar I bet it would work : )
Blind Pig The Acorn
Celebrating and Preserving the
Culture of Appalachia
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
Thanks Tipper
and Jim…It did help somewhat and I appreciate your help.
I am still a bit confused, since the google shows the pictures, (many) of my squash. I wonder if they come in different shapes.
Next year, God willing, I will be trying me some more of these squash.
Thanks Tipper, and Jim
We sometimes like a mix of cinnamon and chili powder on squash and sweet taters, too, with honey to sweeten a little, and butter. When I clean out cantaloupes, squash, or pumpkins, I use an ice cream scoop. We just use whatever fits our hands, don’t we? I like using the scoop for it doesn’t cut into my old palm like a spoon does.
ummm . . . maybe now I can get the blacksmith to eat acorn squash, he LOVES sorghum and we have a new jar just given to us.
Tipper and B. Ruth–I think I can answer (sort of) B. Ruth’s question about candy roasters. The Georgia candy roaster is what Grandpa Joe called a banana squash–long in shape somewhat like a banana, and yellow in color. The N. C. candy roaster, by way of sharp contrast, comes in round shapes and is ugly as homemade sin in color. When it comes to taste though, my culinary memory says “mighty fine.” Quite sweet, and lots of flesh per roaster.
The only downside is that they take a lot of room. Grandpa planted them in the traditional “three sisters” manner–that is to say, with corn and legumes (in his case, October beans).
Grandpa would store them for winter underneath a shock of corn, although I’m sure other approaches–cool basement, toed in under leaves or straw and covered with a tarp, or placed in a smokehouse, would work equally well. Grandma used them as a vegetable but also made pumpkin-like pies from them.
I know one thing–my reminiscing has made me determined to plant a few seeds next year, and I have just the place–a pile of mixed wood chips which have been rotting for several years and leaf mold.
Jim Casada
Tipper,
and Jim unbeknownst to me I think I raised a Candy Roaster, a huge squash that looks like every picture of (Cucurbita maxima) candy roaster that I see on the google! Now then it states that it was a landrace squash developed by the Cherokee Indians and of course is a heirloom. My vines only had one squash, it weighed about 15 pounds, with pinkish orange flesh and the aroma was sweeter than most winter squash. The outside skin was a creamy pinkish orange. Everyone and everything I hear about them is that there is a NC Candy Roaster and a Georgia Candy Roaster…one being a better keeper and one a better flavor?
Which one did you get the candy roaster butter from and I wonder if it even matters that much?
Thanks Tipper and Jim
We do ours about the same, except being diabetic, I use sugar-free pancake syrup and I also use a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg with the butter, salt and pepper. I also poke the inside of the squash repeatedly before and after cooking with a sharp paring knife to let the juices and spices permeate, being careful not to go all the way through the skin which holds all the yummy in.
Our dad use to fill the cavity with butter and brown sugar. That was VERY good too, but not for a diabetic.
God bless.
RB
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Tipper, can you dry and eat the seeds of these squash like you do with Pumpkin seeds? They resemble Pumpkin seeds!I have never eaten Butternut or Acorn Squash, but this recipe looks good!
Barb-no questions are dumb : ) They are different-but I think either would work fine with the squash. Go here to see the difference: http://grandmaspantryva.com/mm5/graphics/00000001/September-Scoop09.pdf
Have a great day!
Tipper
Blind Pig The Acorn
Celebrating and Preserving the
Culture of Appalachia
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
Jim
Thank you for the comment! I have never eaten any squash butter but it sounds yummy!
Tipper
Blind Pig The Acorn
Celebrating and Preserving the
Culture of Appalachia
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
Everything is better with butter and sorghum!!
Tipper,
After reading all these different
but delicious ways of baking acorn
squash, I’d have to agree with B.
Ruth. Perhaps the Cinnamon and
Brown sugar makes a squash taste
more like Fall…Ken
Looks like the blind pig has found hit a bunch of big ole acorns. How do you keep them sitting level sos all the goodness don’t run out?
Tipper,
I clean mine about the same way, I collected melon scoops so I use a old timey green handled one.
On the center very bottom, I slice a piece of peel off taking a bit of the flesh with it. Now then, it will sit just right in a baking dish without rolling over and spilling the butter.
I poke (or gash) a few holes in the orange/yellow flesh with a sharp knife, smear/push some butter in these holes and put a scant tablespoon of butter in the center. I then put brown sugar all over with a little bit in the center. Sprinkle with cinnamon all over the squash! Cover with foil, let bake, uncover and let toast a bit. Bake about 450 hot oven…Take out and mush around a bit with a fork and taste. Add more butter, brown sugar and cinnamon if needed and reheat, if necessary! We also bake butternut squash the same way.
Thanks Tipper,
PS..I think our recipe is about the same except for the sorghum and cinnamon and we don’t use salt or pepper!
Husband doesn’t much care for squash. But this sure looks good.
I like your recipe for acorn squash. My Mom used to make this for all the time in New England. She would take squash cut in half remove seeds, Fill with applesauce, cinnamon, and crumbled sausage. It was one dish dinner and yummy in the Fall Winter.
These are my very favorite squash. I use a grapefruit spoon to remove the seeds once I slice them in almost half. I do find cutting them a bit difficult, but the end result is just perfect. I have never tried Sorghum. I use butter and a little pepper.
Tipper–Sounds mighty tasty, but I bet it would be even better with blackstrap molasses. Momma always used brown sugar and butter.
On a related note, have you ever used any type of winter squash to make “butter?” I was recently a guest at Cataloochee Ranch for a few days in connection with a writer trip, and one of the little things they gave me was a jar of candy roaster butter. I thought it was a great idea and they have a Ranch cookbook with the recipe. Now I just have to raise me some candy roasters. I don’t think I’ve ever grown them, although Daddy and Grandpa grew them.
Jim Casada
http://www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com
I pretty much do the same..except being from the north,I use maple syrup. I just may try molasses..would that be the same as sorghum? Sounds like a dumb question,doesn’t it?
Tipper, this is my favorite way to eat acorn squash. However I’ve never done it with molasses. I’ve always put butter and brown sugar in the squash then cook. It makes mighty fine eatin.