Cold weather warrants a bowl of comfort food

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As you make your weekly trip to the grocery store, you'll see many changes as you peruse the produce department.

Gone are the soft and juicy peaches and plums you sank your teeth into during the warmer months. You reflect on the juicy and sweet taste of watermelon you enjoyed while sitting on the deck with friends. Or you remember the strawberries you dipped in whipped cream for that extra-tasty treat.

While the tastes of summer may be slowly fading, new flavours are cropping up to satisfy your palate during the colder months.

Winter fruits and vegetables are now making their way into stores and inevitably into your kitchen including squash, rutabaga, pomegranate, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, kale, chestnuts, radishes and turnips.

It's no wonder these foods are dedicated to winter. Some have a hard shell, others a crunchy texture and in some cases a sweet and warm centre. The exact qualities needed to battle the frightful outdoors that await us.

One of the best ways to counter the chill is with a wonderful hot bowl of squash soup.

Attached you will find three undeniably delicious soups using winter squash. The recipes are simple and the ingredients don't cost a lot. What's even better, you can double the recipe to make a larger batch for freezing. So, on those days when you don't have it in you to cook, opening the freezer door will provide you with the finest of home cooking.

 

But before you start cooking, let's get familiar with the vegetable that will surely become a favourite in your family.

There are several varieties of squash that grow in Ontario. The common varieties include butternut, buttercup, royal acorn and hubbard.

Squash is an excellent source of beta carotene and potassium and a source of vitamin C and folacin.

Beta carotene has been shown to have very powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which helps reduce the effects of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The potassium in winter squash may help lower blood pressure and the vitamin C is known to reduce the affects of asthma and folacin provides necessary vitamin B and helps repair celluar damage.

 

Types of squash:

 

Here's a description of the main three varieties of squash you'll find in your local grocery store. Farmer's markets may have an even larger selection.

 

BUTTERNUT/BUTTERCUP SQUASH
Shaped like a large pear, this squash has cream-colored skin, deep orange-colored flesh and sweet flavor.

ACORN SQUASH
With harvest-green skin speckled with orange patches and pale yellow-orange flesh, this squash has a unique flavor that is a combination of sweet, nutty and peppery.

 

HUBBARD SQUASH
A large squash, which is dark green, grey-blue or orange-red in color; it is not as sweet as many other varieties of winter squash.

 

Buying and Storing:

 

Look for a dry, uniformly hard surface free of soft spots and bruises. Despite the tough exterior (which preserves them during lengthy storage), winter squash needs careful handling.

 

To store for several weeks at home, keep cool and dry with good air circulation. Best bets for lengthy storage are butternut and hubbard varieties.

 

 

 

~Information courtesy of Foodland Ontario and www.whfoods.org