The West Old & New November Vol. II Issue XI | Page 19

Montana Fare
The Humble Squash
All sizes and shapes and delicious !
These fabulous eats become prolific in the fall, ripening on the vine and soon in the oven. Versatile they can be made
into soups, eaten hot from the oven with butter, or used in stir-fry recipes.
Archaeological evidence suggests squash may have been first cultivated in Mesoamerica some 8,000 to 10,000 years
ago, and may have been independently cultivated elsewhere at a later date. Squash was one of the "Three Sisters"
planted by Native Americans. The Three Sisters were the three main native crop plants: maize (corn), beans, and
squash. These were usually planted together, with the cornstalk providing support for the climbing beans, and shade for
the squash. The squash vines provided ground
cover to limit weeds. Weeds can be detrimental to
the growing conditions of the squash. The beans
provided nitrogen fixing for all three crops.
Summer squashes, including zucchini (courgette),
pattypan, and yellow crookneck, are harvested during the growing season, while the skin is still soft
and the fruit rather small; they are eaten almost immediately and require little to no cooking. Winter
squashes (such as butternut, Hubbard, buttercup,
ambercup, acorn, spaghetti squash and pumpkin)
are harvested at maturity, generally the end of summer, cured to further harden the skin, and stored in
a cool place for eating later. They generally require
longer cooking time than summer squashes.
In addition to the fruit, other parts of the plant are
edible. Squash seeds can be eaten directly, ground
into paste, meal, "nut" butter, even a fine flour, or
(particularly for hulless pumpkins) pressed for
vegetable oil. The blossoms are an important part of
native American cooking, and are also used in
many other parts of the world. Both the male and
female blossoms can be harvested pre- or midflower.
The West Old & New Page 19