Mega Pumpkinsquash!

Maybe you remember this gigunda-sized volunteer squash photo I posted last fall … pumpkin-big, and looking like a cross between that and a delicata or sweet dumpling, by the coloring. I have to confess that I fell for this big old gourd; it was just stunning, perfect in its voluptuousness (okay, now I am revealing how weird I am), beautiful to look at. I couldn’t stop admiring it

There it sat on the kitchen island, waiting to be carved up and eaten ... but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. It was an emblem of the richness of the garden, a beacon of nature’s fecundity, an amazing surprise that had emerged from a shaded compost pile under the trees in a far corner of the yard. Never watered, only getting a few hours of sun each day, this squash grew in spite of those less-than-ideal conditions. It was the most perfect squash I had ever seen.

And so it remained on the counter through Thanksgiving, through Christmas, through the long month of January and halfway through February, subject to the warmth and on-and-off humidity of the kitchen. Lesser squashes, tucked away in the pantry, began to show their age; this one merely turned its greens into oranges, its skin still firm, a rap still producing a satisfying thump. Could it be too good to be true?

Finally, fearing that if I waited much longer it could go all squishy, it seemed like time. This gift should not go to waste. As I plunged our largest knife into the flesh, it felt like carving a fresh pumpkin – it was work, the meat was firm, it took some effort to cut it open. And … amazing! Still moist inside, seeds plump, a lovely squashy aroma.

It was cleaned, cut into large pieces, one sent upstairs for my extended family, two roasted as they were, the last cut into cubes and roasted with carrots and ginger for soup.

Squashes vary in their tastes, depending on the type; some are bland, some dry, some tasty. This pumpkin-squash, aged to perfection, is delicious. Butter and salt were added to the roasted squash, and mashed together; chicken stock, curry, turmeric, cinnamon, and coriander were added to the roasted soup mixture, and pureed with a stick blender. After sampling the mashed squash -- delicious! -- the rest was put into the freezer.

(These silicone muffin pans, by the way, are terrific for freezing portion-sized servings … once they’re frozen, the contents can be popped out quite easily and placed in freezer bags.)

The seeds were saved, of course, and if anyone would like some to plant this year, let me know. Because this one plant grew so, so far away from any other squashes – probably 100 yards away – I expect they should come true. But you never know … and that’s part of the fun of growing.