Preserving Butternut Squash

For the first time this year, we gave growing butternut squash a go. We weren’t sure how many squash we’d get, but I can tell you that any expectations were completely  blown away. We had about 30 squash when Josh harvested them—which was even more surprising given how many were hidden beneath the large leaves of the plant, were tucked into nearby bushes, and had generally grown to a mature size undetected by us.

We’re storing them on our porch for the time being where they can stay at a nice cool temperature. But, we have a feeling that they won’t love being out there when it starts to be freezing every day and night, so we’re going to try to preserve as many of them as we can. Which, as it turns out, is a heck of a lot of work. Peeling, and cubing one butternut squash is an effort, but doing 10 at a time is a workout. That skin is tough! I did make it through my goal of 10 for the day but I had to rest after that…

I roasted half of them on 3 baking trays. I let them cool and then froze them in resealable bags so that we can toss them into soups and stews during the winter.

And I pureed the other half, by simply simmering chunks in water until they were soft. I drained off most of the water (I left a bit to make blending easier), then pureed it with an immersion blender. I stored this puree in two batches again in resealable freezer bags with the thought of using it in soups, pasta sauces, and as mashed butternut squash (just like you can buy in the freezer section of your grocery store!).

I’m hoping to do at least one other batch next weekend, but for the meantime, I’m resting my arms:)