The Easiest No-Can, No Fuss Storage Vegetable!

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 I have been canning, freezing and drying for at least 20 years and if I can find a way to cut corners, I will.  One of the ways I do this is by growing a vegetable that not only tastes great and is super nutritious but is also self-storing...that makes this veggie is a keeper!

And grow it I did, lots of them!  At the end of November, I still have a large supply and they are keeping quite nicely so far, thank you very much.

What is this vegetable wonder?  Winter squash of course!  Yes, I know you are able to can and freeze them, but why should I when most of them will be perfectly fine on their own?  And right now with the holidays upon us, there is an abundance of winter squash available for sale and it's the perfect vegetable to keep for the months to come!

Spaghetti Squash and Delicata Squash

If you're not eating squash now or only at Thanksgiving, now is the time to reconsider.  Winter squash is a great source of the anti-oxidants, alpha-carotene and beta-carotene.  It also is loaded with Vitamin C (one-third of our daily allowance) and a very good amount of the antioxidant mineral manganese as well.

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"While winter squash should not be treated as a high-fat food, it does contain fats, including the anti-inflammatory omega-3s. One cup of baked winter squash will provide you with approximately 340 milligrams of omega-3 fats in the form of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)."

Butternut Bush Variety

Nutrients in
Winter Squash
1.00 cup baked (205.00 grams)
Nutrient%Daily Value

 vitamin A - 214.1%
 vitamin C - 32.8%  fiber - 22.9%
manganese - 19% vitamin B6 - 16.5% potassium - 14.1%

 vitamin K - 11.2% folate - 10.2%
tryptophan - 9.3% copper - 8.5% vitamin B - 28.2%
omega-3 fats - 7.9% magnesium - 6.6%

Spaghetti Squash - Small Wonder Variety

Winter squash is pretty great for you and worth keeping through the winter.  How long does it last in storage?  Here are a few tips when buying squash for storage:

1. Make sure the fruit is bruise (no soft spots) and blemish-free.  
2. The winter squash with the hardest skins will generally last the longest.

Here are the varieties and their storage times:

Pumpkins at 50% to 70% humidity and 50 to 55 degrees - 2-3 months
Acorn at 50% to 75% humidity and  50 to 55 degrees - 5-8 weeks
Butternut at 50% to 70% humidity and 50 to 55 degrees - 2-3 months
Hubbards at 50% to 75% humidity and 50 degrees - 5-6 months
Spaghetti Squash at 50% to 70% humidity and 50 to 55 degrees - 2-3 months

However, I have kept all these squash with the exception of pumpkins WAY past these dates...especially spaghetti squash which I was able to keep all the way through spring with no loss of eating quality.

AND...I keep them in my 65+ degree utility room and not outside.  I do lose some but if I rotate them once in while and keep them fairly separate, they seem to do well.  I just watch for fruits that are beginning to get bad spots, refrigerate and use them up right away.   

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I also choose small varieties (like the small Blue Hubbard pictured above) so I can cook one up fast and have about 4-6 servings depending on the variety.  If I were to buy the monster sized ones, I hate to process them because it takes so long, but the small ones I can peel or cook quickly and eat them every week.  

I am loving our winter squash and have been cutting them up, sauteing them and including them in soups, stews, chilis and even our spaghetti sauce.  We love them and here's hoping you'll be able to store some of your own this winter...Blessings!!

What's your favorite winter squash? 


References:
1.http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=63 
2.http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/hil/hil-24-c.html 
3.http://cedarcirclefarm.org/tips/entry/winter-squash-storage-tips 

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How to Store Fresh Ginger

Fresh ginger.  It's really the ultimate way to use this ancient kitchen and medicinal root.  Native to Southeast Asia, it is renown for its aromatic qualities, not to mention it's tremendous use as a medicinal spice.  And fresh ginger is not only superior in flavor but contains higher levels of gingerol as well as ginger's active protease (it's anti-inflammatory compound.)

Typically fresh ginger will last 3 weeks in the refrigerator if left unpeeled.  However, I tend to not use it that quickly at times.  So, if you want to be be sure of keeping your fresh ginger "fresh," then here's a method I found from somewhere on the internet that has been working well for me. 

I needed a method of storage that would work long-term and wasn't too fussy.  There are many methods out there and I've tried a few, but this one seems to fit the bill for me. So far, my ginger has been storing well using this method going on a month and half.  It still is looking good too.  So without further adieu, here it is...

First, get a clean paper towel.  Lay your ginger root at one end of it and start to tightly roll, forming the paper towel to the ginger.

Once that's done, get a piece of plastic wrap and starting at one end, roll your paper-towel wrapped ginger root.  Again forming the plastic to the shape of the root as you roll.

You'll want to get it as tight as you can in order to keep out the air.

Wha-La...the finished package.  Yes, it looks like a spider web wrapped cocoon of some type but that's okay.  It's supposed to look this way.

Store your wrapped ginger root on a shelf in the refrigerator where it can be seen and maintained if the plastic wrap comes loose.  You will also want to rewrap it everytime you use the root.  Make sure to change out the paper towel if you notice it becoming too damp.  I wasn't doing this and found some mold on one of my roots.  I just cut out the mold parts and rewrapped in a fresh towel.  Also make sure to rewrap it so it stays airtight after every use.

 

That's it.  Pretty simple yet it has really been working for me the best.  Hope this helps you as well.  Blessings!

What's your favorite way to store fresh ginger?

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Saving Sage For Winter...

Right next to the place where I have a clothesline (free solar power!), I have an herb bed and one of the plants in it are my sage plants.  A hardy perennial, I've had these dependable plants for over 15 years.  So, considering their age, I was surprised to see how lush they were for early October. Seeing this, I knew I needed to bring some in to dry.  To be honest, I'm not very good about saving sage for winter use.  I am spoiled by its lush leaves and cold temp. hardiness and forget to put some by. Plus, I often will have useable sage leaves almost into Thanksgiving as it can withstand even some snow.  So, it's a great long season herb an indispensable  for the home landscape. I actually plant it for its flowers as well as for its use as an herb.  (The sage flowers are also edible as well.  You can use them to garnish salads or any dish for that matter.  They only bloom in the late spring.)

Beautiful sage flowers in the spring...

We had some friends over one time in the spring and we were looking at the sage flowers.  One of our friends asked me what the plant was and I told him "sage" and he was shocked.  He then asked, "Why do you need so much sage?  How much do you need for stuffing?"  Now it was my turn to be shocked because I answered, "Just look at how beautiful the flowers are, I grow them for flowers too!"  (I have a whole group of sage plants in a small front flower bed also.)  Herb lovers understand our unquenchable love and appreciation for the many "talents" of the herbal plant kingdom.  They are amazing, hardy, beautiful AND you can eat them...okay, I'm off my soap box. :)

 Back to harvesting...herbs are best harvested right before flowering.  During and after flowering, the plants put all their energy into flower and seed production, so the leaves aren't really the best flavored.  I trim off all the seed heads after blooming so the plants can regenerate and put on another fresh flush of leaves.  And this year was exceptional.  Our May and June were very dry, but mid-July brought back bi-weekly to weekly rains that have extended all through late summer and early fall.  This means my sage is beautiful and ready for harvest.  I would rather harvest late in the season because I won't break into the dry leaves until late November/December.  This way, the dried leaves don't sit on the shelf for as long. 

 Harvesting?  Remember, the upper leaves are the best.  They are tender, insect-free, and the best tasting.  And me having so many plants means I have a lot of sage tops to pick from.  This also keeps the plants bushy and hardy.  

 This was early on in the harvest, I actually filled my dehydrator to the max with these beautiful leaves.  No dehydrator?  No problem.  Bundle the sage with a rubber band and hang upside down in a dry warm place.  Bothered by dust?  Put them in a paper bag upside down, wrap the rubber band around the bottom of the stems and top of the paper bag and hang up to dry.  You may want to poke a few air holes to help with ventilation.  We live by a lake and it seems to be more humid in our house.  So, I invested in a really nice dehydrator.  Looking to save $$?  Check out your Goodwill stores or yard sales, one of my first dehydrators came from there...$3! If it's warm in your area when you are drying herbs, then put them on a ventilated tray/screen and place in your car in the back window.  Instant dry herbs.  My friend did this and it worked out beautifully.  

 Sage leaves have a velvety, almost papery texture, so they dry well and turn a beautiful shade of gray.  I like to store my sage leaves whole or as whole as possible.  I just take out a few as needed and powder them in my hands before using...also known as "rubbed sage."  

 They are great in soups, chicken and dumplings, any chicken marinade or meal and I use them in my Italian seasoning blend.  Overall, a great all purpose herb and one you'll find yourself running out of by winter's end.  Store in an airtight container that is not transparent or I put mine in glass jars but store them in a locker of their own that keeps them quite out of the light.  They have a long shelf life, one year is recommended, as long as they stay dry..  Try sage butter by sauteing (preferably fresh) leaves in some melted butter in a skillet, remove and pour butter over pasta and whatever else you would like to add.  Our favorite use is in our endless pots of chicken noodle soup.  Our guy's favorite soup, I make lots of pots and sage is central to the tasty broth.

Well, there ya go...Sage is saved and ready for winter!  However, I will be gathering LOTS of fresh leaves while this weather stays mild.  Maybe fresh sage for Thanksgiving this year...?!
Blessings!

What's your favorite way to use sage?

For more herb drying info, check out my post;  Ode to Drying Oregano.

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