Dried Winter Squash

 My friend brought me a giant squash picked from her garden in the fall.  We enjoy eating squash, but it was more then we could eat before it went bad.  What do you do with extra fresh cut squash?  My friend had the perfect solution, you dry it.  You peel the squash, and then slice it thinly, hopefully with an electric food slicer, or food processor, and then you spread it on dehydrator sheets and dry it. It took around 24 hours for it to dry at 115 degrees in my dehydrator.  One have of that giant squash made 1 gallon of dried, squash chips.  I actually enjoy eating them just like that.  But I am really looking forward to to putting a handful in each pot of vegetable soup I make, without having to peel and cut a squash first. 

And then next fall I'll know what to do with winter squash from my garden.

Garden Squash Soup

I've got a yummy new recipe for fall gardeners and all who like fall vegetables.  The weather has changed.  Hot sunny weather is gone.  We've had some Indian Summer days, then a stretch of rainy weather brought on the need for a bowl of warm soup, made with the vegetables of the season.

We made this recipe yesterday when it was too wet to do anything in a garden, and we will likely make it again the next time it rains again.

Garden Squash Soup
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Yield: a full pot of soup for today with some left over for lunches tomorrow

Saute:
6 cups of peeled diced winter squash, butternut or other orange squash
3 carrots, chopped
1 onion diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 Tablespoon of chili powder (medium to mild)
1/2 teaspoon cayanne powder (optional)

Blend until very smooth:
6 cups of water
3 stalks of celery
2 large tomatoes (for the blender)
1 cup cashews or other nuts (optional)

Add to the soup pot:
2 - 3 tomatoes diced (for the soup pot)
1/2 green pepper, diced
3 cans black beans, drained
4 cups frozen corn
6 cups fresh greens, such as spinach, beet greens, or kale, cut in small pieces
1/2 cup fresh basil or 1 Tablespoon dried basil
Salt to taste

In a large soup pot, sauté, in a little water, the first 7 ingredients for about 10 - 15 minutes.  While it is cooking blend the celery, tomatoes, and cashews until very smooth.  When the squash is tender, add the blended vegetable broth, and the remaining ingredients, and cook and stir until the greens are wilted and everything is heated through.