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Getting Seedy with My CSA

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Alright, I’m sick and tired of not being able to participate in a weekly CSA blog just because I’m no longer receiving a CSA share. Minor detail. Well I scoff at minor details, so I plotted a way around it. Are you surprised?

If I don’t like the rules, I bend them in a way to fit my needs that’s still logical (in my mind anyway), and therefore perfectly acceptable. It must make sense though, and I promise today’s link up is logical and legit. Before I share my lovely little CSA delights, let me introduce the hosts of our wonderful link up parties.

First, we have the lovely Heather at In Her Chucks. She spends her days in Florida, and her CSA boxes come stacked with picture perfect produce and fruit galore. I’m considering moving just to partake in her CSA program. I bow before and pay homage to Heather’s boxes, so go check them out.

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Last, but certainly not least, is Kristy at Gastronomical Sovereignty. She’s fun, she’s flirty, and she has a potty mouth to rival my own. She also happens to be a champion of local produce, which makes me love her even more…in a completely platonic way, of course. Not that there’s anything wrong with that (any Seinfeld fans out there?).

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Back in the day, when I was still receiving a CSA, I got a bundle of Acorn Squash, a whole family in fact. Ignore the butternut; he was jealous of all the attention I was showering on the Acorns and jumped in the picture; fame whore.

Acorn Squash Family

In any event, I’ve never actually cooked squash before last fall (weird, I know because some of you food bloggers eat it for breakfast), but I certainly couldn’t let them go to waste, so I did my research, scoured the internet, read more recipe reviews than I care to admit, and ultimately ate my acorns in a variety of ways.

There was the Moroccan Veggies and Couscous Stuffed Squash. I liked these for their presentation points as much as their wonderful flavor. They were bowls of deliciousness.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Then there was a twist on Laura’s Butternut Squash and Apple Soup. I swapped out the attention needy butternut for my sweet and subtle acorn and threw in some hard cider for kicks.

Butternut Squash Soup 2

Of course, I handled the Acorns in a classic way too: roasted  with some butter, brown sugar and walnuts because everything is better with butter (in moderation of course, so just ignore the pools in the picture below).

Acorn Squash with Butter, Brown Sugar and Walnuts

Now all this happened weeks ago, and I’m pretty sure I blogged about it back then. Alright, I’m lying, I totally wrote about it then; there’s no if, ands, buts, or pretty sures about it. I was damn proud of myself.

Here’s the part of the story where all the nonsense I’ve been babbling about becomes relevant. With each Acorn Squash I devoured, I also saved the seeds. I scooped them out, rinsed them off and stuck them in a fridge until I had amassed enough to do something with them (or really until I finally figured out what the hell to do with them). It’s my story, so I’m allowed to fudge a detail or two. Creative license and all.

Here my seeds sit, in all their glory.

Acorn Squash Seeds

Finally last weekend, I felt the time was ripe for roasting seeds and if I’m being totally honest, I was getting concerned they wouldn’t last much longer. I’ve had them for weeks so they were well beyond any sell-by date I could find on the internet. Nevertheless, a quick inspection and a sniff test turned up no concerns.  I figured it was game on.

I cranked up the oven (or actually just pushed a few buttons) until it reached a warm and steady 275 degrees. Nothing too outrageous, but enough to burn you if you get cocky (Ha, ha. I said cocky…sorry, I digressed). I tossed my seeds in some olive oil, added a gentle turn of salt, a big ol’ wallop of Cajun spices and a dash of paprika for color (“Well color me happy, there’s a sofa in here for two.”) Oop, I lost it again. What can I say? My brain function is a little odd. It’s fast, furious, and there’s always random shit popping in to say hello. Sometimes I chose to share the random with you; other times I chuckle and cackle to myself and continue on, as if nothing happened. I think I just described the classic crazy person. Hmmm…back to the squash seeds.

After you toss them in olive oil and seasoning, you spread them out on a cookie sheet layered with foil, which rocks because it essentially gives you a free pass from washing said cookie sheet.

Aren’t they just the cutest little things you’ve seen (next to puppies and kittens of course)? No. Whatever; you’re just lying to yourself.

Acorn Squash Seeds 2

I’m going to share a close up because it’s harder to deny their adorability and also because I took too many pictures, and I wouldn’t want them to go to waste either. You’ll have to suffer through it, but I bet you’ll thank me in the long run.

Acorn Squash Seeds 3

You put your sweet little seeds in the oven (pregnancy reference, I did not see that one coming) and roast them (or let the oven roast them) for 15 to 25 minutes. Technically, they are supposed to cook until you hear popping sounds, but I didn’t hear any popping sounds until I actually extracted the seeds. Who knew my oven was sound proof?!

Cajun Roasted Acorn Squash Seeds

After removing these little lovelies, you let them cool until you are ready to demolish them, and demolish them you should because they have protein, fiber and are also a  nutritious source of key minerals including iron, zinc and potassium. BAM!

I see everyone in the food blogging world putting down squash like it’s going out of style, so now I want to see you ingesting the seeds as well. C’mon ladies and gents. Save (and eat) your squash seeds because they need loving too.

What do you do with your leftover squash seeds? Have you ever roasted them and what seasoning did you use?

 

Roasted Squash Seeds

Ingredients

  • Squash seeds, cleaned, rinsed and dried
  • Olive oil (enough to coat them, but not to soak them)
  • Salt (always a little salt)
  • Seasonings* (enough to coat them, but not to soak them)

*Here’s the fun part. You can use whatever seasonings your little heart desires. I chose Cajun and Paprika because I was feeling saucy and spicy, You could use onion and garlic powder instead or pretty much any myriad of dried herbs. Play with it and have fun.

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.
  2. In a small bowl, add your cleaned, rinsed and dried squash seeds.
  3. Drizzle the same seeds with olive oil, a twist of salt and whatever seasonings you prefer. Mix thoroughly. You should use enough oil and seasonings to coat the seeds, but not to drench them.
  4. Spread the seeds out onto your foil lined baking sheet.
  5. Cook in the oven for 15 to 25 minutes or until you start to hear them pop.
  6. Remove from oven, let cool and then ingest.

Comments

  2. I love the idea of using hard cider on the butternut soup! I need to make that deliciouness again… I have half of one in my fridge… mini batch? 🙂

    Seeds are my favorite part of the squash! I have roasted calabaza squash seeds on my counter right now. Cardamom + cinnamon + coconut oil is the most recent combo.

    Reply

    • Cardamom and cinnamon…very nice!!
      Yes you should make the soup, just sub out some of the veggie stock for hard cider. Add a little bit more heat though because it makes it extra sweet.

      Reply

  4. Hi, my name’s Melissa. I’ve roasted pumpkin seeds many times, but I’m ashamed to admit that I never thought about roasting squash seeds! I’m thinking some five-spice would be tasty. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Melissa. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I love seeing/getting new commenters. Don’t be ashamed; this is only my second time roasting squash seeds, the very first being last fall, so I’m totally new to this game too. Five spice seasonings sounds like it would be fabulous. I hope you try it.

      Reply

  7. I have thought about moving just to get more fresh produce : ) Glad to know I’m not the only one! I didn’t do a CSA this year but your posts always make me miss it. I hope I can work something out for this summer!

    Reply

  8. Hi Meghan:

    Just found you through Farm Fresh Feasts.

    I left you an answer in the “Back Bacon Chinese Cabbage and Potato blog.
    Here it is.

    Meghan:

    What you americans call Canadian Bacon, is not really Canadian Bacon.
    We here also call it back bacon..

    If you want REAL Canadian Bacon you buy what we call “Pea-meal Bacon” so called because it is rolled in cornmeal.
    This bacon is meatier and cut from the back
    It is cured but not smoked..
    Some people will cook it till it is crisp on either side.
    I fry it until it is hot but not crisp, just about 1 minute or less either side.
    That way it is juicy and oh so nice.
    I like it kind of thick rather than thin sliced, it stays juicier that way.
    Here in Canada Costco sells it but it is pre-cooked and you just warm it.
    I prefer to buy it raw and cook from that state, it is just nicer.
    Some people roast it, but I prefer mine fried with eggs and toast or in a sandwich.
    You can find it on the internet.

    http://www.realcanadianbacon.com/

    It can be a bit pricey, but everyone should try it at least once.
    You will never go back to what you call Canadian Bacon.

    Now I have to go and browse your blog

    Have a Joyful Day :~D
    Charlie

    Reply

    • Thanks Charlie. I appreciate the info. Back in my meat eating days, I think I ate Canadian and even Pea-meal bacon. We used to get it from the butcher in Fort Erie, and I have very fond memories of it. We always made it into a sandwich with warm gooey cheese.
      I hope you have fun perusing my blog, especially if I make you a laugh a time or two. Stick around for awhile; I promise not to bite.

      Reply

  9. The stuffed squash looks wonderful and the seeds look even better! Wonder how I could count them on WW. I’ll have to figure that out, and hey…they’re free! Pricewise anyway, since they’re in the squash, right! 😉

    Reply

    • I wonder if they would even count as any WW points. Seems like they’d be zero to me, but maybe that’s just because I want them to be zero points.

      Reply

  11. I save all my squash seeds! And sometimes I even wash them up and eat them before they get moldy in my refrigerator! 😉 Yeah, I’ll admit it…most of the time I scoop out the seeds but don’t feel like cleaning them, so I put them in a bowl, pop them in the fridge and then proceed to forget about them for the next week or so. Great for science experiments, bad for snack time!

    The last batch that I DID clean, actually went into a bowl to save for when I had a few more…you know, make it more worthwhile to CRANK up that oven, but then I forgot AGAIN (geez, early onset Alzheimer’s much??)…BUT I actually opened the bowl the other day and they taste just fine raw! I may even go as far as to say I like them better than roasted because they’re nice and chewy! 😀 Total score for me…love it when I can justify my laziness! 😉

    Reply

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