Hard and ugly, curious and inedible, gourds are among the most confusing fall vegetables. According to the Canadian Gourd Society (CGS), people are passionate about gourd crafting – not eating!

On their website the CGS explain that gourd growing and drying takes place in the fall. By the spring, they’re dry, hollow and hard and it’s time for gourd crafting. The CGS website publishes a wealth of information about gourd workshops, equipment, supplies, gourding ideas and projects. But if you thought gourds were only useful when dried and crafted into fashionable flowerpots and birdhouses, you’ll be happy to know there is much more to this category of vegetable than meets the eye.

Of course, the term gourd means a large, hard-shelled fall vegetable. Gourd is a category, however, that includes the more colourful, soft shelled winter squashes such as pumpkins, butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash and many others you’ve seen in grocery stores and on- farm markets.

Markets on farms offer the most unique variety of winter squash. These include Sweet Dumpling and Red Currie, along with more common traditional varieties like Butternut and Spaghetti squash commonly found at grocery stores. When it comes to traditional varieties, most of us can roast squash with some modicum of skill, but when it comes to the newer squash varieties, that’s when people begin to shy away.

GOURMET TIPS FOR COOKING SQUASH

Don’t miss out on a good thing this fall. Here’s my advice on preparing a few irresistible squash dishes.

Sweet dumpling squash are smaller than most, round with a mottled green and white exterior. The flavour is somewhat sweet with a mild savoury taste and they have an edible skin. Just wash the outside, cut it in half, remove the seeds, and slice it. Baste it with a little garlic oil and roast it in a hot 425F oven for 20 minutes or until soft. Remove the squash slices from the oven and do what I do – once cooled, pick them up with your fingers and eat them like you would cookies! They’re so yummy, even the kids will love them!

Carnival squash is a relative newcomer to the squash family. It’s the same size and shape as Sweet Dumpling squash, but the Carnival squash is a beautiful orange, green and cream colour. Because of its rich fall hues, this squash is popular as a table centrepiece – pity, because it’s so delicious.

The flavour is sweet, but a little more buttery than the simple, straightforward taste of Sweet Dumpling squash. For this reason, it’s beautiful steamed (not boiled, to avoid excess moisture), mashed with lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese and a little bit of cream. The skins of both Sweet Dumpling and Carnival squash are edible but peeling is necessary if you’re making mashed squash.

Honeynut Squash looks like a smaller version of Butternut Squash. It grows smaller, with more flavour concentration. Honeynut squash makes an irresistible cream of squash soup garnished with crème fraîche and dried pumpkin seeds. A beautiful fall treat.

Of course, you can stick to traditional winter squash varieties, but I’m finding these a little bland in flavour when compared to the newer varieties. The only squash that stand up to the new kids on the block in terms of flavour are Buttercup, Kabocha, Hubbard and Turban Squash. When roasted with thyme, garlic and other savoury spices, they present a deep richness on the palate that fills your insides with satisfying fall goodness.

SHOP AT A FARM

With autumn around the corner, flavours are turning savoury, making winter squash a welcome addition to the dinner table. And as leaves display their blaze of glory, why not take a leisurely drive in the countryside? It’s here you’ll find fields of ripening gourds, including a dizzying array of winter squash. For a directory of farms near you, go to www.farmfreshontario.com

Lynn Ogryzlo is a food writer. She can be reached at lynnogryzlo@gmail.com

You plan a perfectly portioned meal, offering a rainbow of foods to nourish your growing child, yet when they sit at the table it’s like a veggie eviction. The carrots get sidelined, followed by a dramatic “yuck” or even a fake gag at the broccoli.

The veggie showdown can be especially frustrating for parents. We know those colourful foods are full of vitamins and minerals that are critical for growing bodies, so how can we pack them into our picky little eaters?

It may help to know that this aversion to veggies is developmentally normal. “We have an innate affinity to sweet foods, beginning from as early as in utero,” says Norine Khalil, Registered Dietitian at One Elephant Integrative Health Team in Oakville. “Breast milk and formula are sweet, so we are exposed to sweet flavours from so early on that our taste buds may just enjoy these more in comparison to more bitter tasting vegetables.”

The good news is most kids do grow out of this distaste for veggies as they become less sensitive to flavours. Try these tips to encourage a love for vegetables at an early age.

Offer Choice and Variety

“For some kids, the idea of trying something new can be scary,” says Amy Pulford, Director of Little Kitchen Academy in Oakville. Giving kids control over their food can help them be more adventurous. Visiting a farmer’s market or grocery store and inviting your child to choose a new vegetable to try gives them control over their food choices, and you both might be surprised by what you discover!

Involve Kids in Food Prep

Making kids part of the process of preparing food can make them more likely to try it. Depending on their age, meal prep involvement may be as simple as helping to crack an egg, collecting ingredients from the fridge or pressing the button on the blender.“At Little Kitchen Academy, we encourage our students to plant, nurture and harvest some of our produce in our outdoor garden because we know that when we are an active participant in our food choices, we will try them – and more often than not, enjoy them,” says Pulford.

Talk About Preferences

When your child says “yuck” and pushes veggies off their plate, rather than trying to convince them to eat it, Pulford says this is a great moment to explore what they don’t like about the food.

“Perhaps your child has always said that they don’t like tomatoes, but through talking about what they don’t like – the texture, taste – you may discover that they in fact do like tomatoes prepared in a different way, such as grilled versus raw or cut versus whole,” she says.

Avoid Hidden Vegetables

You may think you’re being sneaky by packing blended veggies into your child’s pasta sauce, but Khalil says this strategy can backfire as kids miss out on the opportunity to get used to the actual look, texture and taste of vegetables.

Instead, she recommends presenting vegetables in a variety of ways – roasting, steaming, air frying or pairing with a yummy dip such as hummus or guacamole. “Exposure to the texture is a huge part of getting kids comfortable with vegetables, and we often will skip this due to frustration,” she says.

Make Veggies Fun

Rather than dumping a spoonful of broccoli onto your child’s dinner plate, get creative with making veggie faces on pizza or cutting veggies into fun shapes.

Offer Without Pressure

“It can take over 10 exposures for a child to even consider trying a new food”, says Khalil. Developing a taste for vegetables can take time.

Add veggies to their lunch along with foods they typically enjoy and avoid calling attention to whether they eat it or not.

By openly incorporating vegetables into meals and encouraging a positive attitude towards them, you can win the veggie wars and develop lifelong healthy eating habits, too!

Broccoli Pesto Pasta

INGREDIENTS

• 100 g broccoli
• 55 g dried spaghetti
• 14 g unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 35 g yellow onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 tbsp heavy cream
• 28 g parmesan, grated

METHOD

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook broccoli for 2-3 minutes to blanch. Drain broccoli and transfer to a bowl of ice water to shock.
2. Once broccoli has cooled, chop into small pieces.
3. In a frying pan, melt the butter and the olive oil. Add the onions and cook until translucent.
4. Add the garlic, broccoli, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to the frying pan and cook.
5. Pour the cream into the frying pan and cook to slightly thicken. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
6. Cook the pasta in boiling water. Reserve 1/4 to 1/2 cup pasta water to thin sauce.
7. Place the broccoli mixture in a blender and blend until almost smooth (a few chunks are desired). If too thick or dry add 1 tbsp pasta water at a time to thin down sauce.
8. Toss the pasta in the broccoli sauce and parmesan cheese.
9. Serve with more parmesan cheese if desired.

Recipe provided by Little Kitchen Academy
(905) 845-5355
littlekitchenacademy.com

By Lisa Evans