The gateway gourds

10.17.26

I heard someone say recently that fall’s root vegetables and gourds are both grounded and grounding and that they grow at a time of year when they are what our bodies need most. It all makes perfect sense. This time of year we reach for things that cook slow and steady, and that are as belly-warming as they are belly-filling, as our bodies adjust to the cooler temps, and itch of wool, and the feel of leaves crunching underfoot. 

So let’s turn our attention to winter squash, which require long and slow cooking times. I want to focus on both delicata squash and honey nut squash, what I consider my “gateway” gourds.

They are the first gourds I turn to when I’m ready to give in to the inevitable arrival of fall and winter. Firstly, because they are smaller in stature than their counterparts, and secondly, because they both have thin, edible skins and are therefore easier to cook and prepare. I’m giving in to the change of season, but not yet committing to the extra work that larger gourds require.

Delicata squash was first introduced in 1894 and became popular in the 1920s. You get a lot of bang for your buck with delicata since the lightly sweet, butter-yellow pulp is abundant. It’s also delicate and moist. The rounded flavor of delicata hints at corn, Butternut and sweet potato. The best part about delicata is that their skin caramelizes beautifully and only adds to the flavor. Here is a recipe for roasted delicata with shallots and sumac I’m eager to try, because I love any recipe that puts shallots in the title. But you can also simply roast them and serve along some steamed cod or with a roast chicken from Letterbox Farm or brats from Good & Local with a side of Wild Hive polenta. 

Honeynut squash, on the other hand, has only been around for about ten years. They were the the brainchild of Dan Barber and Michael Mazourek, a plant breeder from Cornell University. 

The way the story goes, a group of plant breeders from Cornell were invited to Stone Barns to have Barber cook for them. During a tour of the kitchen after the meal, Barber held up a large butternut squash and asked the breeders if they could please develop something smaller, with a deeper flavor. The larger the squash, the more water it holds, thereby diluting the flavor.

As luck would have it, Mazourek, an associate professor in Plant Breeding and Genetics at Cornell who was at the dinner, had been, in fact, working on a “mini” or shrunken Butternut squash for about a year—but he wasn’t getting a lot of traction from seed companies. “Minis have been a really hard sell because they don’t fit a lot of people’s concepts of what a good squash should be. For a lot of vegetables, runty is bad,” Mazourek told Bon Appetit. But Barber and other chefs quickly proved that theory wrong and now, honeynut squash are the darlings of fall farmers markets everywhere. Pick some up this weekend to make these twice baked honey nut squash or this roasted honeynut squash with radicchio and miso, which invites snappy, seasonal apples to the mix.

Other things to look for this week? You must try the Russet apples from Mead Orchards, especially the Roxbury Russet so earthy and rustic, it tastes like the “original” apple. In fact, it is the oldest named apple cultivar that is either native to or bred in North America having originated in the mid-17th century in Roxbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony. Since I got some last weekend, my lunch every day has consisted of slices of Russets with hard cheese and a hunk of bread from Bien Cuit Bakery. Hard to beat.

Except with a steamy bowl of mushroom risotto with mushrooms from Tivoli Farm. The recipe suggests adding frozen peas, but I would either skip or use something seasonal and bright, like seasonal fennel or carrots, instead. 

The farm to fork food truck, Fearless Cook is with us this week. You just know Jodi is dreaming up something “squashy” to bring on Saturday when our musical talent will be the inimitable Peter Calo.

With the anticipated frost coming our way, this Saturday marks the LAST day of the season for Stars of the Meadow. As per usual, they are going out with a "dahlia" bang. 

See you at the market!