Comforting flavours, versatility and deep nostalgic connections to family, culture and tradition are a difficult combination to beat. It’s part of what makes up real “comfort food”, evoking strong feelings of home and family. Perogies are Eastern European dumplings typically filled with a cheesy mashed potato filling, made from unleavened dough. They are boiled and often pan fried with butter and onions, offering a rich, satisfying flavour especially when topped with sour cream and onions. That’s the other part of what makes up real “comfort food” – it’s gotta be delicious. No matter which way you look at it, perogies are THE comfort food of north central Alberta. They can also be filled with meat or sauerkraut, or even fruit for a sweet variation, with the dough providing a soft, sometimes chewy exterior to the soft interior – whatever it happens to be.
After that, its all about personal preference, as perogies are as versatile as you want them to be. They’re incredibly filling, making it the perfect food for hungry kids, and convenient too, easily be made ahead and frozen for later use. Some simply boil them, and some take the additional step of pan frying them with butter and onions. No matter how you cook them, they’re usually served with sour cream.
I am not a purist. I came to perogies the ‘gentile’ way – when I was a teenager they were introduced to our family by a relative – purchased frozen from the grocery store. Before long we were hooked. A few years later, I married a man with a Ukrainian step mother, and things like perogies and cabbage rolls were never the same in my world again. To be fair – Margaret Suelzle wasn’t a great cook of many other things, but when it came to her Ukrainian specialties she rocked. There wasn’t a festive dinner without homemade perogies and homemade cabbage rolls, and though I still purchased our perogies from the grocery store, we never said such things in her company.
Spelling
Perogy – perogi, perogies (both are plural so don’t stress about it). Pierogy, pierogi – all pronounced Pee-er-oh-gee. Since it’s native to so many different countries, and then considering the translation into English – spelling is pretty much anything you want it to be. In this blog, I’m gonna use them all, just because I can. No judging.
History of Perogies
Originally only served in the poorest of homes, pierogies required nothing more than the basic farm staples of flour and eggs, and whatever you had on hand for a filling (usually potatoes and onions). They’ve been iconic comfort food around Slavic tables since time immemorial. But just because no one can remember time without them, doesn’t mean they don’t have a history. Today, perogies are typically filled with some kind of potato combination, but they took root in Eastern Europe centuries before potatoes were brought from their native South America. Its perogy evolution.
It is believed that they were introduced in the late 13th century by the Venetian merchant, explorer and writer MARCO POLO who spent 24 years in China. When he returned, he brought fascinating stories of his adventures: the strange people he encountered and even stranger animals. And food! He documented many Chinese foods, introducing Europeans to the idea and variety of Asian cuisine, including spices like pepper, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg, foods like rice and sugar, as well as preparation methods like dumplings.
Easy to make and flexible about filling, dumplings became a staple food taking all sorts of forms as they filtered through Europe for the next three hundred years. Hungarian dumplings, German spaetzle, small round dumplings filled with minced meat from Russia, spiced meat-filled dumplings from Turkey, gnocchi and ravioli from Italy, and many others.
By the mid 16th century Spanish conquerors brought POTATOES to Europe from their native land of South America. As with most ‘new’ things they took a while to catch on, but when they did, potatoes became a staple all over Europe – especially in the cooler climates where they thrived. It was only a matter of time before some creative cook would find a way to marry the dumpling to the potato. No doubt that creative cook was somebody’s grandmother, as everybody knows the best perogies in the world are made by grammas.
So how did perogies come to Canada?
Though perogies aren’t originally Canadian, they are deeply ingrained in our culture, thanks to large waves of Polish and Ukrainian immigrants. The first Ukrainian settlers arrived in central Alberta in 1891, followed by thousands more before the first world war. With them they brought traditional foods and recipes which were perfectly suited to their new world – as it so closely resembled the climate they left behind. For many today, perogies have become iconic as a ‘Canadian food’, especially among the Ukrainian and Polish populations of the prairies.
The versatility of perogies is endless, with fillings ranging from the savoury potato, sauerkraut and meat, to the sweeter dessert perogies filled with fruit or sweet cheese.
Verna’s mother was an excellent cook – and in this regard, Verna is just like her, always known for her cooking. She raised her 6 kids on traditional favourites like perogies and cabbage rolls, and to this day no festive meal is complete without them.
Verna Zilinski grew up on a farm in the Ukrainian/Polish area of Boyle (160 km north of Edmonton) surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins. Her mother was born in Ukraine, her father in Alberta. When she was an adolescent her family moved to Edmonton which had become the urban hub for many previous farming families. – Did you know that the area east of Edmonton is the largest Ukrainian settlement outside of the Ukraine? 10% of Alberta’s population can trace their ancestry from these settlers.
Perogies are labour intensive, but easy, and CHEAP – definitely peasant food, made from whatever was abundant, which for Slavic people were: flour, potatoes and dairy (fresh cheese). Often times it was a simple cottage cheese that every homemaker could make relatively quickly. Verna’s Russian recipe filling below was likely very typical, but be flexible, there was a lot of variation – all depending on what the cook had on hand and their family experience. Cheddar cheese? Feta cheese? Ricotta / cottage cheese? Go for it. Develop your family’s favourite.
DOUGH recipe: makes 30+ perogies
Verna’s perogy dough 3 cups flour pinch salt 1 egg yolk 1/4 cup oil 1 cup lukewarm water
directions: 1 Prepare dough by mixing everything in. 2 Knead by hand on lightly floured board until smooth and elastic (5-10 minutes). 3 Return to bowl and cover with damp cloth to sit and rest for about 30 minutes. 4. When the dough springs back from a gentle poke, then you’re good to go. 5. Divide the dough into two, and begin rolling out first half (same thickness as you would a pie pastry 1/8 inch or 6 millimetres). While the second piece of dough is sitting, keep it covered so it doesn’t dry out. Roll half the dough out being careful to not roll too thin. Using biscuit cutter, or a large rimmed glass, cut dough. You can use the scraps to reroll once again but remember, the more you work the dough the tougher it will get.
filling recipe
Verna’s Perogy Filling: 1 pound cooked, peeled potatoes mashed 3/4 pound dry cottage cheese 1 egg 1 medium onion, finely chopped and sauteed in butter salt + pepper 1/2 cup mellted cup butter Mash potatoes, mash in cottage cheese till well blended Add egg, sauteed onion, salt + pepper.
Mash potatoes, mash in cottage cheese till well blended Add egg, sauteed onion, salt + pepper.
Roll the dough out to a pie crust thickness (see above), and cut – using biscuit cutter or large mouth glass. Using a heaping tablespoon of the COOLED filling, fold the dough over into a half moon shape and pinch the edges firmly to seal. Go back and crimp again to ensure you’ve got a good tight seal with no air inside. Set aside on a lightly floured surface. If you’re planning to freeze them, set them on a lightly floured tea towel. Once frozen it’s a lot easier to remove them from the tray this way.
how to fill and seal perogies
Bring large pot of water to boil. Add a teaspoon salt. When boiling, drop perogies into water. Stir gently while adding so they don’t stick to the bottom. Don’t over crowd, you can do a second batch if needed.
Gently boil till perogies float, stirring from time to time. Continue cooking another two or three minutes till tender. Remove to a serving dish with a slotted spoon. You can drizzle melted butter over top to prevent sticking. Cook another batch if needed.
To Serve I like them with sour cream and chopped fresh chives or green onions. Dan is not a fan of sour cream. He likes his perogies with butter and sauteed chopped onions. Many also like to serve with bacon bits, or cooked sausage.
Suggested fillings: mashed potato and cottage cheese mashed potato and shredded cheddar sauerkraut sauerkraut and mushrooms
Dessert Perogies
filling: 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries + 1/2 cup sugar + 2 T flour use remaining blueberries to add a little water and simmer a few minutes to make a sauce when all are cooked, pour 1/2 cup melted butter over top and sprinkle with 2 T sugar serve with blueberry sauce and sour cream
For sweeter dessert perogies use fruit or mild cheese. Blueberries, saskatoons, currants, dried apricots, fig and apple sauce, mozzarella cheese or a favourite cheese that goes well with fruit. What do you have on hand?
Remember the humble beginnings of perogies, and the gentle people who made them. Don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be.
Perogies have kept their status as an inexpensive family meal, but they’re also a very popular side dish that can be pretty fancy if you want. If you’re creative, go all the way with it. If you’re a purist and must stick to your gramma’s original recipe, then rock on. It’s a whole new world out there. And in the spirit of the people who depended on them, use what you have.
Beets quietly sit on the grocer’s shelf, a little shy, nothing really spectacular to look at. You may even walk right by without noticing them; admittedly they’re a little on the plain side, down to earth. You might have to look specifically for them as they’ll never jump out at you – they’re just not ‘that way’. In fact, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a big splashy display of beets at a grocery store. But if you did walk right by them, you’d be missing one of the nature’s most nutritious vegetables, one that deserves a special place on your plate.
A recent survey listed beets in the top two LEAST liked vegetables in North America, second only to turnips. That seems a little harsh to me. 26% of those surveyed said they disliked beets; even brussels sprouts scored higher.
Why do people dislike beets? Here are the top reasons given:
Lack of exposure or delayed introduction The first reason may simply be “lack of exposure”. Since beets are seldom on the menu at home, we’re not accustomed to them. Often times a lack of exposure to beets, especially in childhood, can lead to a long term suspicion of “different” and prevent some from trying them. Sometimes, a single negative experience can create a lasting aversion.
Many food preferences are established from continued exposure. In fact, statistics say that a ‘new’ food may have to be tried up to 30 times before one develops a taste for it.
Colour Admittedly, the colour of beets is highly unusual. Because it’s different, some may shy away from them, preferring the plain and usual colours of vegetables: green or orange. Truth is, we eat first with our eyes; to some, the vibrant colour is appealing, while to others it’s the opposite – too weird. An aversion to the colour may cause people to hesitate trying it.
The texture Some people dislike the texture of beets, especially when canned.
Taste Some people say that the taste of beets resembles ‘dirt’. I’ve thought of this as I eat them from time to time, and I suppose I can see their point – but I personally, like that earthy flavour.
Preparation time Okay, I admit it – beets take a little more time, a little more fuss, and a little more mess than simply peeling carrots. You have to be ‘invested’ in the idea of wanting to eat beets if you’re going to go to that much trouble to prepare them.
So, why we should TRY to like them?
Beets are a root vegetable known for their vibrant colour and earthy-sweet flavour. They are versatile and nutrient-dense, both the root and the green, leafy tops are eaten. They are considered a SUPERFOOD due to their rich nutritional profile.
Beets are high in natural nitrates, which the body converts to nitric oxide. This compound helps relax and widen blood vessels, which can significantly lower blood pressure. These nitrates can also improve blood flow and oxygen delivery, potentially enhancing stamina and exercise performance.
Beets are an excellent source of fiber, supporting digestive health and contributing to a feeling of fullness, which can aid in weight management. They contain unique plant compounds called betalains, which are powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents that protect cells from damage. And they are an excellent source of potassium, manganese, iron, folate (vitamin B9), vitamins A, C, K and E, as well as vitamin B6. The deep red colour is indicative of the high amount of antioxidants.
These are very compelling facts for me; high nutrition is always the key factor in encouraging me to want to include any food in my family’s diet.
So how best to introduce beets to your family? and to yourself if necessary?
Start early
Early experiences with nutritious foods and flavours will maximize the likelihood that children will choose them as they grow. The key is variety: variety of healthy vegetables, but also a variety of ways to serve them. A healthier life long diet is more likely if children are continually exposed to different fruits and vegetables and different ways of eating them.
I grew up on pickled beets, but I never much cared for them. They were on the table at Christmas time, and I dutifully took one as the plate was passed around, but I was always disappointed. My first exposure to beets served as a vegetable was at my Aunt Jolayne’s table when I was 11 years old. “What is this?” I asked my cousins. I loved them.
Interestingly, my mother grew up eating beets, with two rows in the garden being dedicated to them. But she rarely if ever put them on the table in my younger years. Why? In those days we lived on a military base in northern Alberta with a small grocery store, carrying limited items – especially produce. Fresh beets were most often not available to us. I suppose canned beets may have been, but if so, we never had any. Though both my parents grew up in large families, with large gardens, we never had one. In my teen years, my mother served beets from time to time. I have to assume that availability improved in the grocery store. (?)
Association
When foods are associated with good memories they are more likely to be appealing as time goes on. Even if the taste or texture was initially unappealing, taste preferences mature, so continued exposure is important.
* case in point: I grew up with canned cranberry sauce on my plate twice a year: Thanksgiving and Christmas. I tried it every year, but never liked it. I did however, have good memories of those special dinners. Uncharacteristically, Dan came into our marriage liking cranberry sauce, so I endeavoured to include homemade cranberry sauce in our traditional meals for his sake. As time went by, I developed a taste for it, and all my kids were raised on homemade cranberry sauce – more than twice a year. Owing to repeated exposure and it being associated with good memories of favourite meals, they all enjoy it, as do their own kids.
Beets can be prepared in many ways.
Boiled: When my mom did cook them, she boiled them unpeeled and then slipped the skins off in the sink, before cutting and serving. That is how I prepared them for most of my adult life. They were messy as heck, but worth it.
Roasted: When I discovered that I could roast beets unpeeled in a dutch oven, and then slip the peel off the way I always had, it became my preferred way. Less mess. But then I discovered taking that to the next level: peel, cut into wedges and roast in the oven with a little olive oil drizzled over top, and salt and pepper. Roast in a 350F oven for almost an hour (depending how big your pieces are), till fork tender.
Pickled: Many of us grew up with pickled beets on the Sunday table, and many of my friends really enjoy them. For me they’ve always be ‘okay’, but not tempting enough to walk across the street for. I’m pretty sure I’ve pickled a few batches in my early years, but there was never a compelling enough reason to do it regularly. So sorry, I’ve got nothing to offer in this area.
roasted beet salad with feta and toasted walnuts, served with balsamic vinegar and olive oil
Salads: When cooking beets, cook extra so you can have leftovers in the fridge. They’re great to eat cold or add to salads. A nice green salad topped with beets, feta cheese and toasted walnuts. Shred raw or cooked beets into your favourite coleslaw. Or just beets by themselves, served cold or at room temperature. Drizzle a light vinaigrette over top with a sprinkling of parsley.
Freezing: Once cooked, beets can be frozen. SO HANDY! Put into a ziplock freezer bag – dated and labeled. So handy! Simply thaw and add to your meal or favourite beet recipes. I’ve heard that you can freeze them raw, but I’ve never tried it. It doesn’t make sense to me.
You can puree your beets in the blender and then freeze in ice cube trays. Once frozen, pop them out of the trays and store in zip lock freezer bags, labeled and dated. Use them smoothies later, or in borscht.
Baking: Just like carrots, beets can be shredded and added to cakes, muffins, cookies – in fact use your carrot cake recipe with beets. I cook them first and then shred, as its much easier and less messy than shredding raw. Makes borscht available all year long.
Borscht: A whole subject of its own. Borscht is Beet Soup. That means its red. I’ve heard of green borscht but that is an abomination; it doesn’t deserved to be called “borscht”. It’s simply vegetable soup. The best borscht is probably made by your gramma, but if you’d like a recipe, try mine in this link1
Borscht is a necessary part of autumn in my house. It looks like, smells like and tastes like “autumn” to me. I look forward to it all year long.
Juicing: When you’re making carrot juice, add a couple of beets. Delicious! You can even freeze your beet juice.
Smoothies: If you don’t have a centrifugal juicer, throw a few beets into your blender with your morning smoothie.
Beet Greens: Don’t throw away the greens! They are rich in vitamins A, C, K and can be steamed like spinach or sauteed, or added to stir fried vegetables or soup, or used alone or in combination with other greens in Spanakopita.
Yellow Beets: I had never heard of yellow beets till my gardening friend Myrna introduced them to me. They are milder in flavour and easier to prepare without that red juice that gets everywhere and stains whatever it touches. I’ve roasted them without peeling, and they never disappoint.
Sometimes called Golden beets, they’re sweeter and have a less earthy flavour than their red cousins. That might make them more appealing to those who don’t care for red beets. They don’t stain, making them easier to prepare and use in dishes where you don’t want the colour transfer. Nutritionally, both types are very good for you. Red obviously contains more antioxidants, but yellow beets having more Vitamin A.
Yellow beets have a beautiful bright yellow colour when cooked. They can be eaten raw, roasted or boiled like the red ones.
Where do beets come from? The people of the ancient Mediterranean coastal areas began cultivating what was known as a sea beet for its leafy greens around 2000 BC. Around 200 AD the Romans began hybridizing them to focus on the large roots. These Roman-era beets came in both the red and white varieties, with the red ones being more popular. From there they were carried throughout Europe where they thrived in the cooler temperatures, gaining particular popularity in the northern Slavic countries and Scandinavia. To those countries they were a nutritional godsend, offering more vegetable variety to countries with short growing seasons. They made their way to North America with settlement of Europeans.
Growing Beets in central Alberta
Who? Anyone with a sunny patch of ground can grow beets. They are very forgiving.
What? There are many varieties of beets that do well in home gardens in our area, the most popular one being DETROIT DARK RED, an all-purpose heirloom variety with a sweet, deep red flesh. Matures in 50-80 days.
Where? Beets are considered a cool weather crop, and like carrots, they prefer a rich, loose and well drained soil. They want SUN, so give them space in a nice sunny spot. Just because a vegetable does well in cool weather does not mean it does well in a shady area. Not the same thing. Plant beet seeds about one inch apart and one inch deep in rows 10 inches apart near the end of April. If you are planting beets later than mid May, beet seeds can be soaked for 24 hours for faster germination.
When? Beets are a cool weather crop so they can be planted early in May or even late April if the spring is warm (in central Alberta).
Seeds germinate 5-15 days after seeding. The first half of the beet’s growing cycle consists of the leaves shooting up. The leaves help provide the necessary nutrients for the root to grow. In general, beets are a pretty low maintenance crop, but throughout the growing season weeding is important to ensure they get all the available nutrients.
They can be / and should be harvested almost the entire growing season, beginning with the young leaves. As they grow bigger, you can continue to harvest by thinning the row out, opening up space for the remaining beets to grow bigger. Beets are most tender when they are young, and can be harvested once they are 2.5 inches across. To check how large your beets are, gently remove the surface of the soil from around them. Beets can be left in the ground until late fall, handling frost and cold weather below 0 Celcius.
Why? Beets are naturally sustainable. They don’t require a lot of water, grow quickly, are super nutritious, and can be harvested for many weeks. They are perfectly suited to our climate, and soil type.
and How? Seeds should be 1/2 an inch deep. They should be rotated annually, ideally coming after nitrogen fixing crops like beans or peas.
Once the leaves are set, they gather nutrients that focus on the taproot. That is when they need to be thinned out. Pulling the leaves to eat at the beginning of summer, allows more room for the root to grow in size during the second half of the growing season. As you continue to thin, your goal is to have at least a 3-finger-span between each plant. Eating the greens, and then the tiny beets is the best of both worlds – harvesting from the beginning of July through the end of September.
Beets should be dry and soil-free before storage. Remove their tops and only store the healthiest ones. They should be stored in the fridge in loose plastic bags (high humidity) to prevent drying, evaporation, and wilting. Beets will keep up to 6 months under these storage conditions.
If you have a patch of sunny ground, I hope you’ll grow beets next gardening season. Reach out to a gardening community near you. It’s fun learning from each other and sharing successes and recipes. I’d love to hear your experiences, some favourite varieties and favourite ways of putting them on the table.
– recipe made with Carrot Pulp from juicing carrots – This recipe makes 18 muffins, but plan to double it so you can share with neighbours.
in these muffins I added some dehydrated blueberries for ‘raisins’
Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together dry ingredients and set aside: 2 cups whole wheat flour OR half unbleached flour 1 cup sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp salt
beat3 eggs, add 1 cup milk and 1/2 cup oil (your choice) set aside * 1 cup raisins or chopped walnuts or combination (optional)
add to flour mixture: 2 cups grated carrots OR carrot pulp OR refreshed dehydrated carrots gently fold carrots into flour mixture till evenly coated If you’re adding raisins or nuts, right now would be a good time. Fold in. * I generally add at least another cup of carrot pulp. If I add two additional cups, I add another egg and another tablespoon of oil as well.
Pour wet ingredients into flour-carrot mixture and gently fold in to moisten completely. If the batter is too stiff and you feel the need to add a little more milk, go ahead. Don’t over stir.
Line muffin tins with paper liners – makes approximately 18 muffins. *tip: I lightly coat the muffin tin with oil and use the liners as well, as it makes it easier to peel off the liners later.
Bake 20-22 minutes at 350F. Test by gently touching the top of the muffin – when it bounces back to your finger, its done. I let the muffins sit on the top of the stove for about 5 minutes to cool slightly before removing them to place onto rack to finish cooling.
I love the poem below. I hope you’ll take the time to read it. It’s spoken from the perspective of a young parent. I’ve been in that place and as a former young mom, the message is a very tender for me. In that young mom’s shoes, I was smart enough to never allow myself to wish any of those moments away. I wanted very much to feel them all and remember them all – knowing that though I couldn’t see it, or imagine what it would look like, the day would come that they’d all be gone.
But I am looking at life from a much different perspective now, and I’ve had so many last times. My heart aches for some of them, not because I wasted them by wishing them away, simply because they are gone. It has been my observation that spending one’s life being unhappy in our circumstances, leads to more of the same – because being happy is not a matter of circumstance, it is a CHOICE.
In my younger years, I never wanted to waste my life wishing things were different. I was self aware enough that I could either make them different, work toward that goal, or accept them by making the best of them. Those were my options. I found it much more satisfying to focus on appreciating the sacredness of each day and what I could learn by living it. Even so, my heart aches for many of those ‘last times’. How much worse would it be if I regretted wasting them by not appreciating them in the moment?
wake up to a new way of doing things
If Covid taught us anything those many months, it should be how quickly life as we know it could be over. No one had the crystal ball to know how long our covid-affected circumstances would last. How long before we could go back to ‘normal’ – a week? a month? how many months? In actual truth, in many ways we never did return to normal. What would we have thought then, if we knew that in many ways we’d be inventing a new normal?
And why risk losing your present by pining away for all those potential last times? . . .
I don’t pretend to be a great philosopher, and I certainly don’t know what the “secret to life” is. But I believe that part of that secret is to be PRESENT, living in each moment. Enjoying each season while we’re in it. Finding ways to reach out and make someone’s world a little better for us having been in it. Never wishing any moment away, because life is so full of last times – not just with our babies but with everything and every one.
The last time we hugged our mom. The last time we said “goodnight, sleep tight” to her. The last time we had dinner with our cousin. The last time we went to the farmers market. The last time we planted a garden. The last batch of jam we made to give away. The last time we laughed with our niece, played go fish with our grandson, pack a lunch for our spouse, even the last time we vacuumed our own floor, or hung laundry on the line. The last time we help a neighbour, chat with that special friend, smile at a passerby, …. made someone’s day better. The last time we flew anywhere? The last time we drove ourself? That last book we read. Who knew it would be the last one? The last time that grandchild came for a sleepover. Who knew it would be the last one? The last time we held hands. Who knew?
Life changes on a dime – with no notice. Last times stack up, and they’re often in disguise. We never recognize them till they’re long gone. I’d love for all of my last times (whether pleasant ones or unpleasant ones), to be with me ‘experiencing them’, enjoying them, or learning from them, so that I could look back and think “I’m sure glad I did that when I did, who knew it would be my last time?” Life is by nature, bound to be full of regrets. I hope when my days get shorter, to have many more “glad-I-did-thats” than “wish-I-did-thats”.
The Last Time
“From the moment you hold your baby in your arms, you will never be the same. You might long for the person you were before, When you have freedom and time, And nothing in particular to worry about.
You will know tiredness like you never knew it before, And days will run into days that are exactly the same, Full of feedings and burping, Diaper changes and crying, Whining and fighting, Naps or a lack of naps, It might seem like a never-ending cycle.
But don’t forget … There is a last time for everything. There will come a time when you will feed your baby for the very last time. They will fall asleep on you after a long day And it will be the last time you ever hold your sleeping child.
One day you will carry them on your hip then set them down, And never pick them up that way again. You will scrub their hair in the bath one night And from that day on they will want to bathe alone. They will hold your hand to cross the road, Then never reach for it again. They will creep into your room at midnight for cuddles, And it will be the last night you ever wake to this.
One afternoon you will sing “the wheels on the bus” and do all the actions, Then never sing them that song again. They will kiss you goodbye at the school gate, The next day they will ask to walk to the gate alone. You will read a final bedtime story and wipe your last dirty face. They will run to you with arms raised for the very last time.
The thing is, you won’t even know it’s the last time Until there are no more times. And even then, it will take you a while to realize.
So while you are living in these times, remember there are only so many of them and when they are gone, you will yearn for just one more day of them. For one last time. author not confirmed, but possibly Taryn McLean
Number 1 reason to grow anything for me, is always nutrition, number 2 reason is level of difficulty to grow, and my number 3 reason is its functionality. Win on all counts with squash, and the variation available is literally from A to Z: Acorn Squash to Zucchini. There are hundreds of types of squash, ranging from the classics like zucchini and pumpkin to the just plain weird. If you’re a relatively new gardener, I highly recommend sticking with some tried and true varieties like zucchini, spaghetti squash or butternut. Once you have some success, start to branch out trying to grow types you’ve never grown before.
There are two basic groups of squash: Summer and Winter. The difference essentially boils down to their harvest stage.
Summer squash can be planted directly outdoors by seed, although they’re often started a couple weeks ahead indoors. It grows in a cylinder type plant with the fruit coming out from the middle area. The fruit begins to develop within about 50 days after planting outdoors (so about mid July). The flavour and texture are mild, with both the flesh and the immature seeds eaten together. Beginner gardeners are sometimes tempted to let zucchini grow bigger, but they are much tastier and tender when picked young and immature – averaging 6 – 8 inches/15-20 centimetres long. And the more you pick when they’re young and tender, the more the plant will continue to produce. Letting one go for weeks to reach the size of a canoe, signals the plant to stop producing. So you may win the award for the biggest zucchini but you waste the entire season on something that didn’t even taste good. While young zucchini is often cooked, it is also often eaten raw, and it has a relatively short shelf life – best eaten within a week of picking.
Winter squash has hard, thick skin that are not eaten, and the flesh has a denser texture, with more distinct flavours between types. While all winter squash have unique tastes, I would describe the general flavour over all, as sweeter than summer squash, with a nutty hint. To me, they taste like ‘autumn’. The texture of the flesh is firm and very dense, sometimes to the point of being difficult to cut with a knife. The hard, thick skin that is also difficult to cut with a knife, protects the squash and gives it it’s extra long shelf life.
Is squash good for you? YES! Winter squash is packed with essential nutrients including vitamins A, B and C. The fiber helps with gut health, and other nutrients can contribute to a decreased risk of certain diseases and improved blood pressure.
Before planting: Choose a spot that gets LOTS of sun. Squash plants are heavy feeders so mix a generous amount of aged manure or compost into your planting area (roughly 50% of the existing soil).
It’s best to get a jump on the season by starting seedlings indoors, but beware: seedlings can get very big and lanky so don’t plant in the house before three weeks before you expect to plant outdoors. Starting squash from seed is easy. Make sure you have a warm spot set out – above 20 degrees C is ideal. Or set your tray on top of a heated matt. Using a soil-less seed starter (soil-less) mix, plant 1 or 2 seeds in each starter pot.
Keep the soil-less mix moist and the seeds will germinate in about a week. Give them as much light as possible and they’ll grow quickly. Once the seedlings are 2 weeks old transplant them into an all purpose plant soil. Keep in a very sunny window or under the lights and continue to keep moist. Squash roots are delicate and the plant will go into shock if they’re disturbed. Transplant very gently, so as not to disturb the roots.
TIP: Since winter squashes need up to 110 days to maturity, it is best that they are grown as transplants in our northern gardens. TIP: Leave a fan blowing on your young seedlings as they grow in the house to help to grow heartier plants and to reduce some seedling diseases. Research has shown that stem diameter can be increased by providing seedlings with constant air movement from an oscillating fan.
I’ve read recently that zucchini should do well in big containers. I’ve never tried that, but I am inclined to do so this upcoming growing season. I have a couple of big planters on my patio, and I have a trough in a nice sunny location. I love planting indeterminate tomatoes in it as it has an arbour, but in the interest of rotating crops, I’m always looking for an alternative. The advantages it seems, are that their roots stay warm and I can better control the watering. Taking the time to work some compost into the trough (or pot) would be important, as squash does best on organic material. Of course a layer of mulch on top is always recommended, whether in the garden or in a container.
Plant seedlings outside after all danger of frost is past, and the soil is warm. Ensure they have full sun. Plant in well-draining, compost-rich soil. Keep the soil consistently moist but not soggy, water regularly. To encourage fruit production, plant pollinator-attracting flowers like cosmos nearby to increase visits from bees and other insects.
For smaller squashes or in limited spaces, consider vertical gardening using an arbour or a string trellis. Winter squash will take more than their fair share of room in the garden, as they send out vines, so plan for that. For years I’ve had mine grow vertically, tying the vines to an arbour or trellis that is strong enough to hold heavy fruit. Growing vertically eliminates the need for a lotta yardage in your garden – perfect for a backyard garden.
*Did you know? the difference between a squash and a gourd is that only that the squash is edible and the gourd is pretty much decorative. The outer skin on the gourd is too thick to make it practical.
Caring for Squash in the Garden Watering: Provide at least one inch deep of water per week, especially during hot, dry periods. Fertilizing: Some recommend feeding squash plants with a balanced vegetable fertilizer or compost tea every few weeks, particularly as they’re fruiting. Personally, I’ve never done this as I start with a good compost base, but I’m thinking I should look into a supplement during the growing season. Pollination: Squash needs pollinators to produce fruit. Plant pollinator-attracting flowers like Salvia, Cosmos or Borage among your squash plants to increase visits from bees and other insects. Mulching: Apply a thick layer of mulch – I use straw – around the root zone to help conserve soil moisture.
TIP: Cutworm prevention – If you’ve had cutworm problems in the past, place a collar around your seedlings right after transplanting. Make collars out of toilet paper rolls, or any plastic container such as a yogurt container with the bottom removed. Insert the collar at least 5 cm / 2 inches in the ground to prevent cutworms from feeding on the stems of your seedlings.
High Yield and Productivity Summer squash plants are known for being substantial fruit producers, with one or two zucchini plants being capable of yielding enough to feed your household and share with friends and neighbors. Think of all the zucchini jokes you’ve heard. If you haven’t had that experience of squash producing abundantly, don’t despair. Simply try again. And again. If you’re not getting enough zucchini, you may have a poor pollination issue. Hand pollinating your female flowers, will help.
* Did you know? Squash are fruits – actually BERRIES. Botanically, a berry is a fleshy fruit that develops from a single flower and contains two or more seeds. It is characterized by a soft, fleshy pulp and thin, outer skin, so with this definition – berries include bananas, grapes, tomatoes, pumpkins and watermelons. Raspberries, black berries, strawberries and cherries, – are not.
A butternut squash plant should be able to yield 4 good sized fruits; other winter squash should yield similar amounts. Squash produce both male and female flowers on the same plant, but if the summer is too cool it may only produce males, which don’t yield fruit. Not much you can do about a cool summer. Female flowers have a distinct squash shaped bulge on its stem.
Remember that while it may be that zucchini is famous for producing an overabundance of fruit, if you don’t pick it continuously, instead leaving a few zucchinis to grow way too big, this will send a signal to the plant to stop producing. You’ll actually be sabotaging your own success.
TIP: Remember to record what and when you plant. It’s helpful to draw a map to help you track planting locations and success each year. This information is important to properly rotate your crops, but also critical to being able to learn from your experience. What went wrong? what did I do right?
Harvesting
Summer squash is picked when its still immature – while the skin is tender and smooth. Many believe the perfect eating size is 6-8 inches, and it is generally eaten without peeling. The most well known summer squash in Alberta is ZUCCHINI, but while all zucchini is summer squash, not all summer squash are ‘zucchini’.
Other varieties of summer squash are: crookneck squash, patty pan squash, and the doppelganger of zucchini – called ‘yellow’ squash, some call it yellow zucchini.
Winter squash is harvested fully mature, after a long growing season. The skin should be hard and not easily punctured with the thumb nail (don’t try too hard as that’s pretty counter productive). Cut the squash off the vine, leaving a generous portion of the stem attached. Harvest before a heavy frost, but most squash can handle a light frost well. Some say that a light frost increases the sugar content, but my counsel is to not to ‘play ‘chicken’ with the frost, you have too much to lose.
Winter squash has separate male and female flowers. The female flower requires pollen in order to produce fruit, but the pollen can come from other compatible species. Pollen is moved by insects such as honey bees, bumblebee, hoverflies, ants and others. If you’re wanting to protect a heritage seed source, then you will not want cross pollination between neighbouring plants. Here is an example of cross-pollination: If you grow acorn squash in the garden and it is pollinated by a nearby zucchini, this year’s fruit will still look like an acorn squash. But if you harvest the seed from that squash, the seed will contain genes from both the zucchini and the acorn squash. If that seed is grown next year, the resulting fruit will look very different – with a combination of characteristics of both parents. This is called a hybrid.
How to Save and Store Seeds: Harvest seeds from full-grown older squashes because their seeds will be fully mature. Carefully cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Wash seeds well in clear water to remove as much of the stringy flesh and slime as possible. Spread on a dish towel and allow to dry completely. Drying can take a week – depends on the humidity in the air.
* Saving squash seeds can be kinda tricky because there are always cross-pollinating with other nearby plants. See footnote 1 How do garden vegetables cross pollinate? see footnote. 2
Vegetable seeds can keep for several years if you store them properly. Seeds should be stored in a cool, dry, dark place. Moisture, heat and light can cause seeds to sprout or rot.
Storing winter squash
If the fruit is fully ripe, hard skinned and blemish free, you should be able to store it in slightly less than room temperature conditions for 3 – 5 months. Make sure there are NO injuries on the skin – as those will be the ‘spot’ where decay will begin.
Yes, I know, you have a friend who says they store their squash till the following summer. I too have such a friend. There will always be those who insist that’s a good thing. It’s not. We’re talking about FOOD, not building material. As with all our food, we should want to eat it when it’s still highly nutritious. The nutritional value, texture and flavour (there is an important correlation between texture, flavour and nutrition), will degrade over its storage life – so the older you stretch it, the less the quality – in every single way. Plan to use winter squash within 4 or 5 months from harvest for best taste, texture and nutrition. That brings you up to February. That’s considered a long time – so be reasonable.
How to save and store seeds:
Vegetable seeds can keep for several years if you store them properly. Seeds should be stored in a cool, dry, dark place. Moisture, heat and light can cause seeds to sprout or rot. Place your seeds in envelopes or make your own envelopes out of foil or waxed paper. Label with name of the seeds and the date (month and year) you harvested them.
* TIP: Once completely dry, place your envelope inside an airtight container.
Here’s an interesting tip I recently read about. To help keep sees dry, place a tablespoon of dry powdered milk in a paper towel or piece of cloth, secured with a twist tie of piece of string. The powdered milk they say, will absorb humidity and keep seeks dry inside an airtight container. I might give this a try this year. I’ll let you know what I think later.
Eating IN-the-season
If you know me at all, you know I’m all about eating IN THE SEASON. Enjoying fruits and vegetables while they are at their very best, “in-the-season” – means eating as much as possible IN the season in which they were harvested, providing their most nutritious offering. Ideally – fresh raspberries, cherries, peaches and watermelon early to mid summer. Fresh tomatoes from July through about November. Fresh apples and plums from mid August through the late fall. Cabbage in the fall and winter. Winter squash from late summer / early fall to January / February. For years, we’ve been trained by supermarkets to think we deserve to eat anything we want, any time of the year. But there is a price to that kind of entitlement. We don’t need to eat everything – ALL the time. We can do just fine without watermelon or FRESH tomatoes in the winter, and without squash in the spring. Personally, I have no desire to eat pumpkin pie in the spring. That just seems all kinds of wrong to me. Some things are meant to eat in the winter – like winter squash. With both summer and winter varieties of squash, we can enjoy a regular harvest of ‘zucchini’ throughout the warm months and store winter squash for months of delicious, healthy eating during the colder times when other vegetables are not so available.
What we cannot eat fresh IN-the-season, we preserve in the best ways available. This is “preserving the excess”.
PRESERVING
Storage Conditions: Proper long term food storage of winter squash is in a cool, dark, DRY place. This will help preserve the nutritional value too. Some winter squash can keep longer than others. For instance, pumpkins and hubbard squash can last longer than acorn squash. Generally ‘long term’ is considered anywhere from 2-4 months) Keep your squash in an area will you will see it often, and off the cement floor. If you tuck it away where you seldom see it, you’ll forget about it and at best, you’re apt to miss the signs of decline.
What are the signs of decline? A squash past its prime will begin to show signs of spoilage. You’ll see soft spots and perhaps mold on the stem. This simply means you’ve waited a little too long, so USE IT NOW! before its too late.
FREEZING: Squash doesn’t lend itself well to fresh freezing. I have found that the texture gets watery and very undesirable. But if you roast it or steam it in the oven it freezes very nicely.
method 1 – steaming: Cut winter squash into wedges, and place on baking dish cut side down. Pour about an inch of water in pan, and bake in 375 degrees F oven till fork tender. Depending on what kind of squash it is, expect it to take between 45 minutes to an hour. Its ready when tender to the fork. You may need to add a little more water from time to time. Allow to cool on counter till you can handle it, then scoop out of the shell and place into a freezer container. Label and date. Freeze up to 3 months.
method 2 – roasting: Cut squash into wedges, put on baking sheet, cut side up. Drizzle lightly with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and any preferred seasoning. Bake at 375 till charred, soft and tender to the fork. Allow to cool on counter, then remove the flesh from its shell (I use an ice cream scoop), and place into a freezer container. Label and date. Freeze up to 3 months.
method 3 – roasting: Peel squash and cut into cubes, place on baking sheet, lightly drizzle with oil and sprinkle seasonings. Toss to coat and bake in 375 F oven till fork tender. Cool, then place into freezer container. Label and date. Freeze up to 3 months.
Does it go bad? Sitting in the freezer longer than 3 months will decrease quality significantly. The longer its frozen, the poorer the quality. But no, it doesn’t “go bad”.
Eating winter squash
Winter squash can be roasted to use in salads or served directly on your plate. They can also be made into soups or stews. Who hasn’t tried pumpkin pie? Or pumpkin loaf (like banana loaf), or muffins. One of our favourite cookies in the fall is pumpkin cookies.
This time of year we in my house like pumpkin chowder, pumpkin scones, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cake, pumpkin pie of course, pumpkin dip with gingersnaps, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin & meatballs over rice, . . . . If you haven’t found a way to enjoy squash – you couldn’t have tried very hard.
If you have a favourite recipe, please share it with me below in the comment area.
Making baby food with winter squash Baby food can be easily made at home. Doing so allows you to take advantage of fresh and seasonal, locally grown fruit or vegetables as well as control the ingredients. You can also adjust the food texture or consistency to whatever stage your baby is at. Winter squash is highly nutritious and its smooth texture makes it easy to dilute with water if necessary, or not if the baby is a little older. It is naturally sweet and appealing. As with all baby food, don’t prepare more than you need for a day.
My personal favourite winter squash for eating is Butternut. Hands down it beats all others in my opinion, so it’s no surprise that its most of what I cook. And my favourite way of preparing it is to ROAST it in the oven, usually in cubes. The variations are endless.
Roasted Butternut Squash in cubes
Ingredients: 1 large butternut squash (about 3 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes 2 Tablespoons olive oil + 1 more 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon black pepper. This may be a lotta pepper for you, so if you’re not a big fan of black pepper, go ahead and reduce by 1/2. * seasoning variations (see below for suggestions) * optional: fresh chopped rosemary – goes with most other flavours
Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 2. Generously wipe two large baking sheets with up to a Tablespoon of olive oil in each pan. 3. Place the squash cubes in a large bowl. Drizzle with remaining olive oil, then sprinkle with salt & pepper and additional seasoning combination of your choice (see below). Toss to coat, then divide between the two baking sheets. Spread the cubes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets. 4. Place the pans on two separate racks in your oven, for about 30 minutes, turning squash over with a spatula half way through, and rotating pans. 5. Continue baking the remaining 15 minutes or until the squash is tender to the fork. 6. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with fresh rosemary. Serve warm.
Roasted Butternut Squash in wedges
1 medium butternut squash (about 3 lb) 2 Tablespoons olive oil ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg ½ teaspoon fine sea salt ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves (plus a few more whole leaves to top) 2 Tablespoons coconut sugar 2 Tablespoons fresh walnuts
Directions: Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds with a spoon, and discard. Cut each half into 3 wedges. Toss the squash wedges with the oil, nutmeg, salt, pepper and sage (both chopped and whole) until well coated. Arrange flesh-side up on parchment-lined baking sheet with the sage leaves touching the wedges.
Bake for about 50-60 minutes or until the flesh is easily pierced with a knife. Sprinkle coconut sugar and chopped walnuts over squash and return to the oven for another 8-10 minutes or until wedges are golden and caramelized around the edges and the walnuts are toasted.
Serve warm or even room temperature. I even like it straight outta the fridge.
seasoning suggestions for roasted squash:
* Cumin (my usual go to): 1 Tablespoon cumin powder, thyme and oregano: 1 T of each * Cinnamon Roasted: 1-2 T of pure maple syrup, 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder * Sage roasted: ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg. ½ teaspoon your salt of choice, ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper (or half that amount if you’re inclined to do so, 1 T dried sage leaves crumbled, 2 T coconut sugar, 2 T chopped walnuts
Curried Pumpkin Soup
– a hearty delicious way to use leftover jack-o-lanterns – in large sauce pan, sauté over medium heat till onions are translucent: 2 T butter 1 medium onion chopped 2 cloves garlic minced
Add: 6 cups peeled and cubed fresh pumpkin 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth 1 cup orange juice 2 T curry powder Bring to a slow boil and simmer till pumpkin is soft and tender. Puree in batches in blender, then add 1 cup sour cream Warm thoroughly but do not boil. Serve warm.
based on Patti Shenfield’s Pumpkin Chowder
4 cups cubed potatoes 2 medium carrots sliced 1 stalk celery chopped 1 onion diced 1/2 green pepper diced 2 cups chicken broth 1/4 cup butter 1/3 cup water 3 T flour 1 + 1/2 cup pumpkin puree OR a 398 ml can (14 oz) 1 + 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper 2 cups water + 1 cup whole milk grated cheddar cheese Directions with variation suggestions at the bottom: 1. In a heavy soup pot, combine potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, peppers in the chicken broth. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add butter. 2. Mix 1/3 cup water and 3 Tbsp flour till smooth and pour into the soup pot, stirring frequently. 3. Add pumpkin, salt, pepper, parsley, sugar and 2 cups water. Reduce heat and cook on low till vegetables are tender – about 30 minutes, stirring once in a while to prevent scorching. 4. Stir in milk. 5. Serve in bowls with garnish of grated cheddar and chopped parsley. May serve as is – a vegetable soup, or puree in blender before serving as a cream soup. Or puree a third of the soup, leaving the remaining chunks for texture. * I’ve added a quart of home canned tomatoes with 1/4 cup tomato paste – and the results were terrific. * I’ve used freeze dried potatoes, onions, celery, peppers and cheddar – even freeze dried butternut squash instead of onions.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
This kind of ‘recipe’ is using what you’ve got on hand. It may never be exactly the same twice, but it will always be delicious.
the ingredients I used in this batch: 1 butternut squash – washed, cut in half and cleaned out 2 onions 5 potatoes – cut in big chunks 1 large sweet potato – cut in big chunks 5 large carrots – cut in big chunks 3 peppers (red, yellow or orange) – cut in half (stem and seeds removed) whole head of garlic with top cut off, or in individual cloves 1 Tbsp each: cumin and paprika 1 tsp each: salt and back pepper 1/3 cup olive oil 1 quart vegetable broth 1 19 oz can coconut cream (560 ml)
Into a large baking dish, put: 1 butternut squash, cut side up, scored crisscross with a sharp knife. Add onions, potatoes, carrots, onions, peppers and garlic. Don’t bother peeling anything, just make sure they’re all clean. Drizzle with olive oil Add seasoning. Don’t be afraid to add your seasoning of choice. Try a teaspoon of cinnamon or ginger. Bake in 350 degree oven about an hour, till fork tender. Add a few minutes if necessary. When fork tender, remove from oven and allow to cool. Once the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out the softened flesh with an ice cream scoop and put everything (in different stages) into a good strong blender, using vegetable broth as the liquid. Puree. The only peel you’re gonna discard is the squash and the garlice if you used the whole head. Pour each batch into a saucepan as it is done. Once all the vegetables are pureed, gently warm up over medium heat. Add any remaining vegetable broth, and as a last step, pour in coconut cream that has been stirred if necessary.
Serve with sourdough bread toasted. Enjoy.
Dorothy Beck’s Pumpkin Cookies
– I got this recipe in 1983 from my friend Dorothy Beck. It became a favourite in our house on chilly fall and winter school days. A nice soft tender cookie. Makes about 5 dozen. 1 cup shortening 2 cups sugar 4 eggs 2 cups cooked pumpkin 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 T cinnamon 4 + 1/2 cups flour 2 cups raisins * 1 cup chopped nuts – your choice, optional
Directions: Preheat oven 350 F. 1. In mixer, cream together shortening and sugar. Add eggs one at a time till thoroughly mixed. 2. Add pumpkin and beat in completely. Set aside. 3. Sift together all dry ingredients and set aside. 4. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture one cup at a time, mixing well with a spoon. 5. Half way through flour addition, add raisins and nuts, stir in. 6. Finish adding flour. 7. Drop cookie dough by teaspoons onto prepared cookie sheet – either greased or use parchment. 8. Bake in 350 degree oven till done. Probably 15-20 minutes? Check frequently. Cookies are done when they spring back to the touch. Cool slightly on pan, then using spatula, place them on a rack to cool completely while you re-use the pan to make more.
Patti Shenfield’s Pumpkin Loafbased on the recipe in her bookFLAVORS OF HOME
1/2 cup butter melted or your favourite cooking oil 1 cup pumpkin mash 1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt 2 tsp vanilla 1 egg 2 cups flour 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp of each: cinnamon and ginger + 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1 cup sugar 3/4 cup chopped walnut Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F 2. In small mixing bowl combine oil, pumpkin puree, sour cream, vanilla and egg. Beat until smooth. Set aside. 3. In large mixing bowl sift dry ingredients together, and make a well in the middle of it. 4. Add wet ingredients and still around till all is moistened. 5. Pour into greased and floured loaf pan. . 6. Bake 50-60 minutes or until a tookpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Can be used for muffins instead. of cake Can add chocolate chips.
Pumpkin Scones with Maple Syrup Glaze
3 cups unbleached flour 1 T baking powder 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon allspice 1/2 teaspoon each of ginger and nutmeg 3/4 teaspoon salt sift all the dry ingredients together
1 cup COLD butter cut up Using two forks or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the dry ingredients. Don’t get too carried away and make the pieces too small. Course like whole rolled oats is fine enough. Set aside.
mix liquid ingredients together (*hint: have them cold): 1 cup pumpkin puree 2 eggs 1/2 cup heavy cream OR kefir OR plain yogurt OR sour cream OR buttermilk 3/4 cup brown sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla
Line a cookie sheet with parchment (a baker’s best friend). Preheat oven to 400 F. Put your rack in the centre of oven.
Pour liquid ingredients into the sifted dry ingredients, and gently mix by folding, only until all moistened. Don’t over stir. Sprinkle a little flour onto the counter and dump out the dough onto it. Gently mix with hands only until you’ve created a ball. Divide into two equal smaller balls and place on either end of your parchment covered cookie sheet. Gently pat down with the palm of your hand, to form a disk about 6 inches across. Cut each disk into 8 equal pieces, and gently separate so each piece is an inch or two apart.
Bake 18 – 20 minutes, starting to test after 15 minutes but gently tapping the scones with your finger. You’re looking for it to bounce back. When done, remove from oven and allow to cool on pan.
* While scones are cooling, prepare this delicious glaze: in small sauce pan over low heat, melt 2 Tablespoons butter. Add 1/3 cup maple syrup and mix thoroughly, removing from heat. Add 1 cup icing sugar. Mix thoroughly and drizzle over top baked scones.
I prepared my glaze too early and it was setting by the time I got a chance to use it. I couldn’t drizzle anymore, I had to spread it – which was okay too.
I hope you’ll fall in love with squash – especially winter squash. It’s the end of September as I write this, so in our house we’re just gearing up for cold weather recipes. I’d love to see some of your favourite recipes using all kinds of squash. Please share in the comments. I will continue to add new recipes as I find them in my own collection.
Warmly,
Cindy Suelzle
Footnotes:
Delicata, acorn and spaghetti are related closely enough to zucchini and pumpkin that they can cross pollinate: all are Cucurbita pepo. Winter squashes such as hubbard, kobacha, buttercup and turk’s turban belong to Cucurbita maxima and can cross pollinate one another. Butternut squash is Cucurbita moschata and does not cross-pollinate with the squashes listed above. Winter squash have separate male and female flowers. The female flower requires pollen in order to produce fruit, but the pollen can come from other compatible species. Pollen is moved by insects such as bees, bumblebee, hoverflies, ants and others. Here is an example of cross-pollination: If you grow acorn squash in the garden and it is pollinated by a nearby zucchini, this year’s fruit will still look like an acorn squash. But if you harvest the seed from that squash, the seed will contain genes from both the zucchini and the acorn squash. If that seed is grown next year, the resulting fruit will look very different – with a combination of characteristics of both parents. This is called a hybrid. ↩︎
Here is an example of cross-pollination: If you grow acorn squash in the garden and it is pollinated by a nearby zucchini, this year’s fruit will still look like an acorn squash. But if you harvest the seed from that squash, the seed will contain genes from both the zucchini and the acorn squash. If that seed is grown next year, the resulting fruit will look very different – with a combination of characteristics of both parents. This is called a hybrid. ↩︎
Winter squash have separate male and female flowers. The female flower requires pollen in order to produce fruit, but the pollen can come from other compatible species. Pollen is moved by insects such as bees, bumblebee, hoverflies, ants and others.
This seemingly trivial photo from years ago makes my heart happy. 14 year old Jonas washing the glass bricks for me. 2 year old Jack hanging around him, watching and chatting it up, Jonas patiently including him and listening. This speaks sermons to me.
A sermon about two cousins on either end of the age span (Jonas is the 4th oldest, Jack is the youngest of 19), and what they have to offer each other.
A sermon about the value of sharing even the insignificant moments of everyday life.
A sermon about the example of service. Jonas is doing a service for me and Jack is learning.
A sermon about Jonas’ patience in his little cousin wanting to hang around him.
A sermon about the ease of familial love, comfort and yea, even loyalty.
A sermon about devotion. Not just Jack’s devotion to this big boy hero in his life, but of Jonas’ devotion to him as his little cousin, who some might say has nothing in common with him.
It’s a sermon of what the world needs more of.
One day Jonas will be all grown up and away, living his adult life, and Jack will be a bigger little boy who remembers him, and looks forward to the times he comes home. Perhaps they’ll play board games together like Jonas does with his uncle who is just a little more than 12 years older than him (who incidentally is Jack’s father).
A sermon about Jack’s spot in the cousins lineup. #19. Our baby’s baby. The youngest cousin. How he is surrounded by people who love him, and adore him, and patiently include him in the little things they do.
From the kitchen where I was working, I observed these two and grabbed my camera. This snapshot is a mere blink of what was going on and what I would like to have captured. It was precious and I wish I had chosen to video it.
It is a surprisingly common myth that once you ‘preserve’ a food, it has an indefinite shelf life. Absolutely FALSE. Pay attention to shelf life and plan to USE the food you store as it will not be good forever. 1
All storage methods have limits that are shorter than we are tempted to assume. Be reasonable. Nothing STOPS food spoilage, but certain methods of preserving slow it down considerably. It’s food! Its not indestructible. Nutrition is optimum the fresher it is of course, and at the beginning of storing, best used within a certain time frame.
Generally this is what you can expect:
Canned food – commercially canned or home bottled food has a recommended shelf life of 18 months to 2 years. Two years is the time frame I try to work within. Nutritional value is approximately 40% of whatever that food was the hour it went into the bottle. That nutritional value decreases as it ages, so yes, we may all know someone who has bottled peaches from 2018 on their shelf, but the nutritional value is so poor . . . . Just EAT the doggone thing or give it to the chickens! Get it over with! What are you waiting for?
Frozen fruits and vegetables if prepared properly have a recommended shelf life of 4 months to a year. For me, I use a year as my benchmark. Nutritional value is approximately 60% of whatever the food was the hour it went into the freezer. The key is to have it in the freezer as close to harvest time as possible. Don’t forget about it in there.
Dehydrated foods have a Potential Shelf Life of – 1 year for fruits, 6 months for vegetables, 1-2 months for meat (6 months if vacuum sealed. I say potential because there are so many factors to consider when dehydrating at home. Like for instance: Did you use a dehydrator? an oven? or did you air dry? How long between picking time and the dehydrator? Did you remove all the moisture? Are you certain? What temperature did you dry it at? How are you storing it? Best practise is to store in coolish room temperatures (no less than 40 F / 5 C and no higher than 70 F / 20 C), out of direct light. Nutritional value can be up to 80% with a key factor being prompt processing (from field to dehydrator).
Freeze dried food has an extraordinary shelf life of up to 25 years if done properly. Freeze drying is a gentler process preserving and protecting the food value. Nutritional value could be over 90%.
I strongly emphasize HOME GROWN when selecting what food to preserve for a few very good reasons.
* When I say ‘home grown’, of course I mean locally grown by either me or someone I know, or perhaps a farmer’s market vendor – so that we can know HOW it was grown and WHEN it was picked. Produce begins to deteriorate in-the-hour it is harvested. Most produce: all stone fruit like peaches, plums, apricots, mangoes, and all seed fruits like apples and pears, we buy from the grocery store are picked before it is fully ripe, and at least a week before we buy it. This is done to assist in the transportation of the produce to distant locations, but it inhibits full nutritional content right outta the gate. Some of the phytonutrients in those plants will never fully develop if they are harvested too early.
Since nutritional value begins to deteriorate immediately, keeping produce for a week or more before we eat it, ensures significant loss of nutrients. So for example, when we buy a case of “fresh” peaches from the grocery store to bottle or freeze or even freeze dry (don’t dehydrate them), and we wait a few more days after we get them home to ripen, we are guaranteed to loose much in the way of nutrition. In many cases – more than HALF before you even cut into your first ripe peach.
DEHYDRATORS:
There are many different types of Food Dehydrators. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but to make it worthwhile – pay attention to a few details.
Purchased or homemade? New or used? When we started dehydrating in the late 1970’s there really weren’t a whole lotta options available for purchase. It was pretty much ‘homemade’ or nothing.
Oven My first experience dehydrating was in our kitchen oven. I set it to as low a temperature as I could, and used a serving utensil to keep it slightly ajar, allowing the air to circulate. I made fruit leather, using a recipe from an old book I borrowed from the library. This was a good introduction, but awkward and impossible to know exactly what temperature I was dealing with. It took a long time and was easy to lose track of time and over do it.
Homemade Conversion My next experience was to borrow a home made dehydrator from our good friends Daryl and Carol Currie from church. They had converted a small fridge, adding multiple shelves. It was heated with an in-car heater and fan. and worked very well. We loved it.
When I was in my first year of marriage, I came across this adage that spoke to me and shaped my thinking. The saying which gained popularity during the depression and wartime years, encourages resourcefulness. To me it is the motto of a self reliant lifestyle.
Screen to sun dry We experimented with an open screen system to dry in the sun. Dan built me a bottom screen and a top screen to protect the fruit from insects. Epic fail. First of all, the screens didn’t prevent the flies from landing close enough to the fruit to contaminate it, and second of all, the weather was not always helpful. We do not have the hot dry summers up here to make that idea practical. Back to borrowing Currie’s fridge dehydrator again.
Homemade from scratch Dan built me a very big dehydrator out of plywood – the size of a small freezer. I was dehydrating for a family of growing kids, and to be able to do a fairly large amount of fruit at a time was important, so I needed something that would suit our purposes. Dan and our friend Kevin Lamont worked together and made one for us and one for Lamonts. Following the example of our friends the Curries, Dan and Kevin used in-car heaters as a heat source. They worked Great and we used ours for years! I could dry about 40 pounds of apples at a time, and as I recall – it would take approximately 24 hours (rotating shelves during that time).
At length, when my need for quantity reduced, we passed it on to someone else and looked for a counter top one to replace it.
I was given an older “Nesco GARDEN MASTER” by a friend who was moving away and downsizing. I loved it, and used it for years, but eventually it started to wear out. It sounded like it was having motor problems, and I couldn’t risk having it quit mid season, so we purchased a new model. Interestingly, the newer one was exactly the same – I guess when it already checks all the boxes, there’s not much to improve on. A nice perk was that all the older racks still fit so we gained quite a big capacity.
* Our son adopted our older one and refurbished it to run smoothly again, so now we both have one. The added bonus of that is that we can each borrow extra trays if we are dehydrating a bigger batch.
Purchased There are many types of dehydrators for sale these days: big and small, reasonably priced for the most part – so do a little research and read the reviews.
It is easy to find used (I call them ‘experienced’) dehydrators for good prices – from people who just didn’t end up using them as much as they thought they would. You can pick one up for a real good price on the secondhand market.
Unless you’re a single person and expect to use your dehydrator mostly for fun – avoid a real small size. Some dehydrators are so small they’re almost a waste of time in my opinion.
The shape of your dehydrator (round, square or rectangle) is completely a matter of personal choice, but there are a few features I recommend looking for: * being easy to clean is critical * a fairly large capacity, and the ability to do a little or a lot at a time * a thermostat to allow temperature control – a very important feature in my opinion * being able to add more shelves (racks) to increase your capacity from time to time * being able to purchase replacement pieces if needed * easy to clean plastic removable screens for fruit pieces, and easy clean plastic sheets suitable for fruit leather. tip: If your dehydrator doesn’t have screens or sheets, parchment paper is a good alternative.
Can you use your air fryer to dehydrate? Apparently you can, but your capacity is very small. You’ll be drying one sliced apple at a time, so what’s the point? And you’re still looking at several hours. When I dehydrate, I’m not doing it for fun – I’m looking for practicality and a quality product. Be cautious about keeping your heat down. I’ve had people tell me they dehydrate at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s cooking, not dehydrating – and heat sensitive vitamins will be destroyed.
In the end – my recommendation is to buy a good dehydrator. Whether it is new or experienced doesn’t matter, but investing in one will give you a lot of continual flexibility to be able to take advantage of freshly harvested produce that comes your way.
DEHYDRATING: Why and How
Dehydrated foods can be a nutritious option, but the extent of the nutrient retention varies. While some nutrients are well-preserved, others like water-soluble vitamins like Vitamin C and some B vitamins, will be lost during the drying process. The extent of loss will depend on a few factors – see below.
If you’re going to be serious about dehydrating, get yourself a dehydrator. It doesn’t have to be expensive, in fact I recommend buying an ‘experienced’ one from market place or a thrift store. You can get some pretty nice dehydrators for decent prices when you buy them second hand. I highly recommend getting one that has temperature control and that fits on your counter.
Nutrient Retention in Dehydrated Foods:
Vitamins: Vitamins C and some of the B complex (B1 & B9) are heat-sensitive and can be degraded with heat. To preserve these nutrients, use as little heat as you reasonably can. If you have a food dehydrator with a thermometer on it (my high recommendation), you can deliberately keep your temperature lower: 115 F to 125 F (46-52 C).
Temperature: For delicate citrus fruits and strawberries, keep the temperature range on the lower end / 115F – 125 F. For more hardy fruits like apples, some recommend doing the first hour at about 140 F to remove initial surface moisture, then reducing it to the lower range for the remainder of the drying time.
Minerals: Minerals are generally well-preserved during dehydration.
Fiber: Dietary fiber content remains largely unaffected by the drying process.
Calories: The calorie content of dehydrated food is going to stay the same, but on a weight-for-weight basis may seem higher because the water is removed.
Macronutrients: Macronutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are largely retained during dehydration.
Factors Affecting Nutrient Loss:
Drying Method: Dehydrating in a dehydrator at a low-temperature, retains more nutrients than air drying or oven drying. Temperature: Lower drying temperatures help preserve nutrients. Storage: Proper storage (like cool temperature and in the dark) helps maintain the quality and nutritional value of dehydrated foods.
Benefits of Dehydrated Foods:
Longer Shelf Life: Dehydration extends the shelf life of foods, reducing spoilage and waste.
Concentrated Nutrition: Dehydrated foods are more nutrient-dense by weight, making them a good option for backpacking or situations where weight is a concern.
Variety: Dehydration allows for year-round access to a wider variety of fruits and vegetables.
Mixing batches? Sometimes you may have two or more types of food that need the dehydrator at the same time. Can you mix them? ie: a few shelves of kale and a few shelves of fruit leather? Be careful. Consider the flavour and aroma of the foods your thinking of putting together.
Apples for instance have a pretty delicate flavour profile, tarragon is pretty strong. Keep those things in mind as you make the decision to combine in the dehydrator – albeit on different shelves. I have mixed in the past but usually with similar things: apples and fruit leather, cherries and fruit leather, cherries and apples, tomatoes and basil or oregano, kale and most herbs. Garlic or onion with anything else? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Don’t even do those in the house. And make sure you wash your shelves afterward. With garlic you might even want to use parchment paper which you can discard afterward.
What types of herbs, fruits and vegetables grown in the prairie provinces of Alberta are best candidates for dehydrating?
HERBS
All garden culinary herbs except dill weed (the green ferny parts), chives and cilantro are suitable for drying. With these herbs, the flavour is lost and the texture is not very good. I opt to freeze them as the flavour, colour and texture remain beautiful. I use them FROZEN, scraping out of a container with a fork and returning the container to the freezer immediately.
Basil – Oregano – Rosemary – Sage – Savory – Tarragon – Thyme (and any other leafy herb): wash, shake off water and drain well. Bigger leaves like basil I’ll remover from stem, smaller leaves like thyme and rosemary I’ll leave on the stem. Arrange in single layer on dehydrator rack. Once they’re dry, its a lot easier to strip off the stems. Do NOT leave any herbs unattended, as some will dry surprisingly quick. Oregano, tarragon and thyme for instance could be dry in a couple of hours, while basil may take double that time or even more. You know they’re dry enough when they’re crispy. Some leaves like basil will change colour – get a lot darker. Other leaves like oregano will stay the same colour. Be prepared for variety, they’re all gonna do what they do, and its all okay in the end.
Garlic: is different entirely, as it is not leafy, but succulent. Slice and arrange on rack in single layer, being prepared to redistribute by hand from time to time during the drying process. Best to find a protected outdoor area to set up your dehydrator as the smell will be very strong. When dry, store in slices, or grind into powder / granules.
FRUITS
* Experiment with length of time, always selecting a low temperature if you have a thermometer on your dehydrator. * Most of these ones listed you can expect to take over night at least – probably a good 12-18 hours. You’ll know they’re ready when they’re CRISP. Not a minute sooner. * Not all pieces will dry at the same rate. Rotate your racks throughout the process, and remove pieces that are dry sooner than the others. Place them in their storage jar, and continue to add others as they dry. If you stop too soon and pack them away while there’s still some moisture in them, they’ll mould and you’ll lose them all.
Should you peel your fruit? Depends on the fruit – and your preference, but I generally choose to peel apples. I find that the skin dries a little tough and the kids were eating around it.
Apples: my kids were raised on dried apples, dehydrated in a large dehydrator that Dan built. I could fit 40+ pounds of apples into it at one time. – Peel them, core them and slice into rounds 1/8 – 1/4 inch thick. If you prefer wedged slices to rounds, go ahead, you be you. – Add to a water-lemon juice solution to prevent them from browning. – When you’re ready, spread evenly in a single layer on your dehydrator racks and stack them. Cover with the lid and turn it on. Suggestion: set your dehydrator to 145°F (63°C) for about an hour to dry surface moisture, then reduce it to 135°F (57°C) for the remaining drying time. This two-step process helps prevent “case hardening,” where the outside dries too quickly and traps moisture inside. Expect 6 to 12 hours for the apples to dry completely. Don’t be surprised if it takes longer as there are other factors like humidity in the air that will affect the timing.
Testing: its a good practice to test every few hours, occasionally turning slices over as you see the need. Rotate racks.
Checking for dryness: Apples are dry when they are dry to touch, no moisture when pressed between your fingers. They can be crisp or pliable but ‘leathery’. Your choice.
Cooling and Storage: Always allow to cool completely before storing; a few minutes will suffice. Don’t let it sit for too long though, as it will absorb moisture from the air and lose it’s crispness. Store in an airtight container, preferably in a cool, dark place. I prefer glass jars.
Shelf life: You can be comfortable with storage of several months up to a year. After that, the quality will start to deteriorate.
Blueberries: I rarely have enough blueberries to dehydrate, but if you live in the north and you’ve got a favourite wild blueberry patch, then go for it! Poke a hole in each berry to break the skin – other wise they’ll take forever. Personally I wouldn’t leave these overnight. I’d want to keep a closer eye on them to prevent over drying. Use the steps for apples as a general guideline.
cherry raisins – I save the pits too to use in other projects.
Sour cherries: One of my favourite ways to preserve cherries is to dehydrate them, and then use them like raisins. Pit them, cut in half and place on the dehydrator rack open side up in a single layer.
Pitting cherries is a messy job, so its the perfect one to take outside. Having the dehydrator plugged in outside as well, keeps the whole mess outside where its easier to clean up.
fruit leather
Pears: Personally, I do not enjoy the texture of dried pears, so I don’t do them.
Plums: I slice into quarters – Prunes! Beautiful. Refer to the instructions for apples as general guidelines. No need to soak in lemon water, and if the plums are especially big and plump, cut them into smaller pieces.
I only use plums that are easy to pit. If I cannot remove the pit by simply slicing the fruit, then its not suitable to dry. Best to eat those plums fresh, or use for plum jam or plum sauce.
Rhubarb: only in fruit leather, as by itself the texture leaves much to be desired. See footnote for more information on fruit leathers. 2 Rhubarb freezes well – I love to use it frozen in smoothies, and I even can it sometimes cold packed in pint jars to use later as a sauce or in oatmeal. 3
Strawberries: slice and dry. No need to treat with lemon water, they’re beautiful. Like the blueberries, I wouldn’t leave these unattended over night. I’d want to keep an eye on them to prevent over drying. Strawberries will also make beautiful fruit leather alone or added to rhubarb. 4
All of these fruits are perfect for eating right out of the jar, or rehydrating. Use in porridge, or to bake with: muffins, cakes, crumbles etc. Stewed prunes over top of oatmeal. Refreshed dried cherries in muffins. Stewed apples and blueberries. Rehydrated apples and cherries in a nice ‘crisp’ or cobbler. Strawberry sauce to go over top ice cream.
Remember a dried plum is now a prune. It will never be a plum again – even if you rehydrate it. It is a PRUNE, just like a dried grape will always be a RAISIN. Rehydrating will never make them what they once were.
VEGETABLES
– carrots – corn – green beans – peas – onions – peppers – kale – spinach – tomatoes – zucchini – I store all these vegetables in labelled glass jars in a dark pantry cupboard. Most of them will only be useful in soups later.
* Most of these ones listed you can expect to take over night at least – probably a good 12 hours. But as with fruits, experiment with length of time, always selecting a low temperature if you have a thermometer on your dehydrator. * Not all pieces will dry at the same rate. Rotate your racks throughout the process, and remove pieces that are dry sooner than the others. Place them in their storage jar, and continue to add others as they dry.
Carrots: chop into small pieces and dehydrate to use in soups over the winter. Use in small amounts as they’ll be pretty strong flavoured, and expect them to take at least 20 minutes to rehydrate in brothy soup. I like to make carrot juice in the fall when I have lots of carrots, and when I do I often use the leftover pulp in carrot muffins or carrot cake. Sometimes however, I have an excess of carrot pulp that I cannot use right away. In that case, I’ll dehydrate it and store in a jar to use for carrot muffins over the winter.
carrot juice and whole wheat carrot muffins – the perfect late summer breakfast
Corn: shuck cooked corn as if you were going to freeze it. Break the pieces up quite small and dehydrate. Rehydrate in soups.
Green peas and beans, sweet peppers: blanch as if you were going to freeze them. Dehydrate on racks and rehydrate in soups.
Hot peppers: If they’re small I dehydrate them whole, and use them whole later without rehydrating them. I will throw them into the food processor whole, like for spinach dip, or to add to a sauce or soup. *tip: Peppers have a protective skin that should be punctured or split before dehydrating. You can still leave the peppers whole, but splitting the outer layer with a sharp knife before putting in the dehydrator will drastically reduce the time it takes. Sometimes if the peppers are small, I string them with thread and hang them in my kitchen to dry. It seems that simple puncturing of the needle helps.
Kale: Remove the tough stem, wash and chop coarsely. Lay on racks – no need to worry about single layers, I stack it quite deep. It dehydrates surprisingly (don’t ask how many hours – I never pay attention to that enough to write it down) quickly. I never blanch (or steam) it first.
Onions: chop into small pieces, or slice into 2-3 inch pieces and rinse in cold water. Rinsing removes some of the strong pungent sulfur flavour that is released when the onion is cut – I highly recommend it. Arrange on rack in single layer, being prepared to redistribute by hand from time to time during the drying process. Best to find a protected outdoor area to set up your dehydrator as the smell will be very strong.
Spinach and other leafy greens that are more delicate than kale: I suggest lightly steaming first (then plunging into COLD water to stop the cooking process). Drain well then coarsely chop and lay loosely on the dehydrator rack. Personally, I prefer freezing delicate leafy greens.
Tomatoes: choose meaty tomatoes like Roma. Tomatoes that are too juicy will take forever and stick like crazy to the rack. I slice them and lay in single layer on rack. As they dry and get leathery in texture, I’ll turn them over by hand and put them back on the rack to finish. Make sure you rotate your racks from time to time to help with even dehydrating. To use: add to soups or sauces as is, or powder them in a blender to use in the same way one would use tomato paste. 5
Zucchini: choose zucchini before it gets huge – the perfect eating size. I never peel the the small ones (just as if you were serving them for dinner), slice in nice thick pieces, then quarter them. Sometimes if I have a bigger zucchini, I’ll grate it and dry that way to refresh later and use for zucchini cake. These ones I DO peel because the peel is tough.
Other vegetables like: beets, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, cucumbers – personally I don’t recommend dehydrating them, mostly because its a texture issue. Having said that, there are always exceptions: I have dehydrated beet slices for the purpose of powdering them (like tomato powder) for adding to smoothies. Beets are a nutrient-dense, low-calorie vegetable packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They are particularly rich in folate, manganese and potassium, also rich in fiber and iron and dietary nitrates which are beneficial for heart health. This makes them worth going the extra mile to find a way to benefit from them. Just because a fruit or vegetable is not suitable to use in the ‘traditional’ way, doesn’t mean its not useable in a non traditional way.
It is always worth experimenting with how you can benefit from the good that your garden is gifting you. The very nature of experimenting means it might not work – but it might! Be creative, and open minded to try things you haven’t tried before. Be THAT person. Discover new things simply because you gave them a try.
* I recently saw a post for dehydrated dill pickles. The individual who posted, had too many on hand and their family didn’t care for the brand, so they got ‘creative’ and discovered something wonderful. THAT is what we’re talking about. Not only did they have a good experience, but by sharing they helped others have a good experience too.
a few rules to live by:
Being self reliant is about not wasting goodness.
“Store what you EAT. And then eat what you store.” It doesn’t do any good to dehydrate foods that you are never going to eat. But on the other hand, it IS good to experiment in small quantities at first, and then give it every chance. Not all fruits and vegetables are suited for all forms of preserving, 6 so its good to be flexible.
I hope you’ll give some of these foods a try in the dehydrator, and I’d love to hear your experiences. You likely have some great ideas that I’ve not implemented yet. Or some ways of using the dehydrated foods you’ve dried. I’d love to hear those too.
The story of cereal grains is the story of humanity’s transition from nomadic life to one of settlement and agriculture. With the exception of people in the far north, every culture from time immemorial has their own cereal grain, depending on climate and soil conditions: wild grasses, nuts, and seeds gathered, then pounded into flour or roasted and eaten whole. The beginning of agriculture marked the end of dependence on foraging, and the need for constant travel searching for food. Family groups could afford to build more permanent homes and bigger numbers meant more hands in the fields, hence the need for more buildings in which to gather – permanent communities – civilization.
Why wheat?
WHEAT IS GOOD FOR YOU. There, I said it. Notwithstanding all the wheat haters out there and the anti-gluten people, for most of us, wheat is an excellent choice.1 Whole grain wheat is an excellent source of fibre, antioxidants, vitamins (particularly the B vitamins), minerals, and even protein. Almost 80% of its protein comes from ‘gluten’, (a large family of proteins) which is also responsible for the unique elasticity and stickiness of wheat dough, making it so desirable for bread making. 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of wheat contains 15 grams of protein! To put that into perspective, that’s about a quarter of the recommended daily amount of protein for the average 160 pound adult. Gluten can cause side effects in a small percent of people with conditions like celiac disease, IBS (inflammatory bowel syndrome), and gluten allergy, but most people eat it without any issues.
People who eliminate wheat from their diet by extension also avoid the excess calories in too much bread, pizza, junk food and desserts. Obviously one is going to feel healthier as well as experiencing weight loss, and this could cause one to mistakenly assume that wheat and other gluten containing foods are the culprit. To the contrary, wheat in its natural form fuels the body with essential nutrients and is associated with reduced risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and obesity. The secret is to avoid the excess oil and sugar that so often accompanies wheat flour in baking. Too much of anything is a bad idea.
2. Wheat is readily available in every part of the world. Wheat is a hardy and forgiving plant, growing in nearly every horticultural zone where there is sufficient moisture and fertile soil. It was cultivated anciently in Western Asia, (being found in archaeological excavations in present day Iraq), accepted now as one of the earliest known sites of agriculture. It was cultivated in Egypt as early as 4000 BC, and from there eventually spread throughout the Roman Empire and Asia. The Romans brought it to Europe where it grew exceptionally well, and 500 years ago the Spanish brought it to the New World. By the 1800’s wheat had literally travelled the world and was being cultivated on every inhabited continent. In 2023, the top ten wheat producing countries in order are: China, India, Russia, United States, France, Canada, Germany, Pakistan, Australia, and Ukraine. Generally Ukraine had been in the top five producers – their current production has suffered since the Russian invasion in February 2022. 2
Dan and I discovered wheat six months into our marriage. We were young and still ‘playing house’, but neither of us had ever used ‘wheat’ as a whole grain before (or probably even seen it if I was to be totally honest). Friends in our congregation were making a group purchase of wheat from the Peace River area, and they invited us to join. We decided we might as well jump into this ‘adult thing’ with both feet so we bought some. 10 bushels of hard red spring as I recall. Dan felt that if we were going to have wheat, we needed to figure out what to do with it, and I agreed. We assumed we could just ask those same friends, but was surprised to learn that most others didn’t feel the same compelling need ‘use’ it. It was after all, for ‘food storage’ – which evidently meant for some future undetermined time when we’d all be glad we had it. That didn’t make sense to us, so we started doing our research – pre internet and social media – the old fashioned way, books! And you might not be surprised to know that there weren’t that many books available on the subject either. A pamphlet in a health food store was the best we found for a long time, so it became a life long quest, with lots experiments. There didn’t seem to be any shortcuts.
“Almost all the wheat produced today for human consumption is used for the making of bread, but the very earliest farmers didn’t use it that way.”3 Evidence from early sites indicate that it was probably soaked and then cooked into a porridge of sorts.
While whole wheat is high in fiber — not surprisingly, refined wheat contains considerably less as the bran is removed during the milling process. That is true with every other good thing that wheat brings to the table.
Whole grain wheat kernels are called ‘berries’, and they are SEEDS, containing everything a new sprouting plant needs to be healthy, made up of three parts: – the protective outer layer: BRAN – the heart or ’embryo’ of the grain: GERM – the starchy middle layer intended to feed the sprouting new plant: ENDOSPERM
When the wheat berry is ground into flour, the bran gives it it’s familiar slightly brownish tint, and oil from the wheat germ is released. Its best to grind fresh, only what you can use in a few days because the wheat germ has a healthy fat that will go rancid if left too long. Pay attention to the ‘best before date’ on store bought whole wheat flour for best results. Better yet, grind your own.
This is precisely why it became desirable commercially to strip milled flour of its bran and especially its germ – which though rich in vitamins and minerals, has that volatile wheat germ oil. The yield is a more shelf stable product, but at a high nutritional cost. This is called UNBLEACHED white flour. BLEACHED flour is whiter than unbleached through a process that uses ‘bleaching’ agents like benzoyl peroxide or chlorine dioxide to break down the starches and proteins in flour, making it softer and more absorbent, but nutritionally void. Consequently bleached flour is regularly ‘ENRICHED’ with the replacement of more shelf stable vitamins – but don’t fall for that. Again, it’s a poor substitute for what it was in its freshly ground day.
So what is your best option for nutrition when it comes to wheat flour? In the order of nutritional and flavour superiority:
I have had this Grain Master for well over 20 years. It is my 3rd electric wheat grinder. It is the grandfather of the current Wondermill, which I highly recommend. As you can see, you can adjust the texture of your flour. I usually have it set on the finest, although in this picture it is set on the coarsest. THIS is some goofball grandson’s (or son’s) idea of a practical joke.
1. Freshly ground wheat. Not to be confused with whole wheat flour from the grocery store (that is not ‘freshly’ ground). This requires a wheat grinder or grain mill of course. 2. Unbleached flour. The only reason I skip the whole wheat flour at the store is because one doesn’t know how fresh it is (how long its been since that wheat germ oil has been released). The unbleached flour has the germ and bran removed true – but at least it hasn’t been bleached. 3. Whole wheat flour from the store. Look for a best before date and make sure you take it seriously. It is important you use it quickly before that oil goes rancid – you’ll know something’s off when the flour starts to smell bad. Once you’re familiar with a ‘rancid’ smell, you’ll recognize it for the rest of your life.
That’s it. Only three options. Don’t buy bleached flour – it’s not an option. And yes, there is cake flour with added salt and leavening added. I don’t have anything to say about that. I’ve never been tempted to buy it because its just another step along the processing journey and I usually avoid that trip if I can.
Personally, I prefer to grind my own flour, but when I want to lighten it up a little, I’ll add some unbleached. I have never purchased Bleached or Enriched white flour.
using the whole wheat berry
Flour is not the only way to enjoy the benefits of ‘wheat’. The healthiest way to enjoy whole grains of any kind is to eat them whole, and if you’re new to this exciting world of whole grains, wheat is a good gateway. Prepare to be delighted.
Cooking the whole wheat berry is easy enough, it just takes time. Don’t rush it. Take a chill pill and let it be what its gonna be. 1 part wheat + 3 parts water + a little salt. Bring to a boil and boil for a couple minutes, then cover, turn off the heat and leave it over night. The next morning, bring it back to a boil and gently simmer for 30 ish minutes, stirring once in a while to prevent scorching and testing for tenderness once the water has been absorbed.
Wheat Porridge Do yourself a favour and open your mind. Make a small batch the first few times – to get used to it. Its a whole new experience but its so GOOD FOR YOU, its worth the adventure. Best to start it the night before, give it time to soak. 1 cup wheat 3 cups water 1/2 teaspoon salt Bring to a boil, let it boil for a couple minutes, stir and turn heat off. Cover and let sit on the stove till morning. Bring it back to a boil and let it gently simmer for about half an hour or just a little bit longer. Stir every once in a while to ensure the water isn’t disappearing too fast – it should be on quite low. After 30 or so minutes, start testing for tenderness. When its pleasantly plumb and tender to chew, its done. Don’t be in a rush. Spoon about 1/4 cup into a bowl, drizzle a little honey over top and cover with your favourite milk. Enjoy.
Reserve some cooked wheat to keep in the fridge to add to other things during the week; you’ll love their sweet, nutty flavour and chewy texture.
Other ways to use cooked wheat berries
Salads:
Fall Kale Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash and Cranberries Kale 3 or 4 cups (measured after its stripped off the stalks) Butternut squash (or sweet potato) 1 Apple 1/4 – 1/2 cup cooked wheat 1/2 cup chopped parsley 2 green onions chopped 1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries or raisins toasted walnuts 1/2 cup crumbled feta if you have it on hand Much of this can be made ahead and then set aside to be assembled just before serving.
*Peel butternut squash and cut into 1 inch pieces. Drizzle with olive oil and roast in baking dish till fork tender. Set aside. In the meantime, wash kale well and strip greens off stalk. Lightly chop, sprinkle lightly with salt and drizzle a tablespoon (at most) olive oil. Massage with your hands for 2 minutes, rubbing the oil into the leaves, transforming them into ‘tender’ leaves. Set aside. Toast 1/2 cup walnuts. Set aside.
To assemble salad in salad bowl: Start with chopped and massaged kale Sprinkle roasted butternut squash over top Sprinkle 1/2 cup dried berries over top Sprinkle 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley over top Sprinkle 1/2 cup cooked wheat berries over top Drizzle apple cider vinaigrette over top, and serve.
*optional: arrange freshly sliced pears on the top for the perfect fall touch *optional: add fresh pomegranate seeds over top *optional: use hazelnuts or pecans instead of walnuts, or a combination of your choice *optional: candy the nuts ahead of time for a pleasant crunchy surprise *optional: use mixed greens instead of kale – switch it up depending on the season – tender greens like baby kale, spinach, baby lettuces and arugula.
Apple Cider Vinaigrette 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 1 Tablespoon maple syrup 2 cloves garlic minced 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon your favourite salt about same amount of freshly ground pepper 1/2 cup olive oil
OR Lemon Vinaigrette 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice 1 Tablespoon maple syrup 2 cloves garlic minces 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon your favourite salt about same amount freshly ground pepper 1/2 cup olive oil
In small bowl whisk together everything but the olive oil till fully combined. Slowly add olive oil while continuing to whisk till fully emulsified. This will make enough for today’s salad, and a little extra to store in the fridge for tomorrow’s salad.
Basil Tomato and Corn Salad with Wheat 1 cup cooked wheat 1 cup chopped green onion 2 cups corn toasted in 1 Tablespoon olive oil (OR freeze dried toasted in olive oil and then refreshed with a little water) 2 cups cherry tomatoes quartered, or regular tomatoes diced 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese 1 cup fresh basil chopped finely Combine all ingredients together except cheese and basil. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss, then sprinkle cheese and basil on top before serving.
Lemon Dressing: 3 Tablespoons lemon juice 3 Tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper whisk together
TABOULI (Tabouleh) pronounced ta-boo-lee Normally Tabouli is made with bulgur wheat (see below), but you can make it with whole wheat if you like too. Just make adjustments.
2. Soups and stews:
stir cooked wheat into the brothy soup during the last 20-30 minutes, or simmer dry wheat at the beginning of a long cooking soup. Garnish your butternut squash soup with a sprinkling of cooked wheat on top.
3. Casseroles or in a rice pilaf, or on top of Buddha Bowls or Poke Bowls:
On a base of cooked brown rice or quinoa – with any number of fresh toppings of vegetables, fruits and protein artfully arranged on top and drizzled with a light dressing.
4. Breads: Add a cup to your next batch of whole grain (or part whole grain) bread. Add a cup to your next batch of carrot muffins, carrot cake, apple cake, banana loaf . . . etc
5. Whole WHEAT Pancakes using the blender: you’ll be surprised and how light and tender this pancakes are. 3 cups milk 3 eggs 2 cups wheat (just wheat, dry and uncooked) 1/4 cup sugar (white or brown your choice) 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 scant Tablespoon baking powder Pour milk and eggs into blender. Blend on high, then remove small cap on top to slowly add wheat while still blending. Add sugar, oil and baking powder, continuing to blend till smooth. Test your batter with a spoon. There should be no grit left in it – totally smooth. Spoon batter onto greased skillet and cook as you would any other pancake. Serve with syrup or fresh apple sauce.
5. Baked Wheat Pudding 2 cups cooked wheat (or cooked cracked wheat) I prefer whole wheat but it really doesn’t matter once they’re cooked 3 eggs 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup honey 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 cups whole milk 1/2 cup raisins nutmeg and cinnamon to sprinkle on top
Beat eggs, add salt, sugar and vanilla. Stir well. Add milk and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add wheat and raisins and stir well. Pour into a well buttered casserole dish and sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Bake at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes, then stir the pudding to keep the wheat from settling. Bake another 15 minutes and stir again. Bake another 30 minutes (to total approximately an hour) or until toothpick comes out clean. Serve plain or with cream, yogurt or ice cream.
Cracked Wheat
Cracked Wheat Porridge or Multigrain Porridge 1/2 cup cracked wheat 2 cups water dash of salt Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer slowly for 30+ minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. When tender to the bite, remove from heat and serve with milk and honey.
Beat eggs till frothy; add salt, honey, vanilla and milk. Beat well. Add wheat and raisins and stir well to combine. Pour into a well buttered casserole dish and sprinkle the top with nutmeg. Cover with a lid or tin foil. Bake at 325 F for about an hour. After 15 minutes, stir the mixture again as the wheat will mostly have sunk to the bottom. Return to heat and continue to bake until the pudding is no longer runny. Remove the lid for the last 15 minutes to allow to brown on the top. Insert a toothpick to test for done-ness as you would for a cake.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. We used to serve it warm with cream or ice cream.
Bulgur Wheat
Bulgur is the fast food in the health food world: whole wheat that is par boiled and then dried and cracked. Because it is pre cooked and then dried, it rehydrates quickly making it very convenient with a mild, nutty flavour and chewy texture. It is a staple in middle eastern cooking and the key ingredient in Taboulleh (Tabouli) Salad.
Not to be confused with cracked wheat, while bulgar is cracked, it is partially cooked first. Bulgar comes in fine, medium and coarse texture . This shortens the cooking time – in fact it doesn’t need cooking, just soak it in hot water to soften it. Coarse bulgar could take up to half an hour, while medium and fine could take 15+ minutes.
Tabouli Salad 1 cup Hot water 3/4 cup medium bulgur wheat pour hot water over top bulgur wheat and set it aside rehydrate (about 1/2 hour).
When bulgur is tender and cooled, begin adding all the above and toss to combine: 1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced 1 medium tomato, diced 6 green onions, diced 1 medium pepper your choice of colour 1 cup (or more) washed and chopped fresh parsley small handful of finely diced fresh mint 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon chili powder juice of 1 lemon, or 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/2 cup olive oil
Toss well and serve. Enjoy.
sprouting wheat
Super easy and very nutritious, sprouting is a great habit to get into, and great to do with kids. Use sprouted wheat (as with other grains and seeds) are great for salads, sandwiches and more.
Sprouted wheat is UNlike many seeds you may have sprouted in the past. Don’t expect it to look like bean sprouts or alfalfa sprouts – its in a league all of its own. Sprouted wheat is also sometimes referred to as ‘germinated wheat’.
Why sprout wheat? Because sprouting turns a grain into a ‘plant’ – for lack of a better term, a ‘vegetable’. Seeds contain enzymes; when they are sprouted they release their enzymes and the once dormant seed springs into life as a new ‘plant’. Enzyme inhibitors are a plant’s natural defense against degradation. When sprouting, grains are given the signal to neutralize these substances that can be hard on the human body. Vitamins increase, including Vitamin C. As the sprout begins taking energy from the endosperm, the changes that take place alter the carbohydrates, and it breaks down the gluten making it easier to digest for people who otherwise might have difficulty with wheat in general.
The tools are simple. There are a large variety of suitable sprouting containers, but to begin with, start with a simple wide mouth pint jar. When I sprout alfalfa or beans I use a quart jar, but you aren’t going to want that kind of quantity to begin with. You’ll need some kind of a lid to strain water from. A net or cheese cloth with an elastic band, or a screen inside a jar ring, or a plastic strainer made for this purpose.
Day 1: Put 1/2 cup whole wheat into a wide mouth pint jar and cover with plenty of water. Let it soak over night.
Day 2: Strain after 8+ hours and give a gentle rinse. Strain again and set it aside. Repeat again at the end of the day. The point is to never let the seeds dry out while you’re sprouting or they’ll die. By the end of day 2, you may already be seeing the beginning of little white sprouts on one end. Yay.
Repeat the rinsing and straining cycle twice every day. I set mine on the counter where it gets indirect sunlight.
Day 3: repeat rinsing and straining cycle. Day 4: By the end of this day your sprouts should be ready to use, for all the same purposes as you’d use softened cooked wheat but with the added benefit that THESE kernels are not cooked and are loaded with additional vitamins including vitamin C. They are very sweet.
This will be good in the fridge for 4 or 5 days, but don’t store it, USE it.
Wheat Sprout Apple Muesli – 2 servings 1 cup wheat sprouts 2 tablespoons liquid honey or maple syrup 1 cup vanilla greek yogurt (or plain yogurt with another tablespoon of maple syrup) 1 fresh apple diced 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1/4 cup sunflower seeds Mix all together and enjoy
Yes, you can dehydrate your sprouts and then grind them to make sprouted wheat bread. Make sure they’re VERY dry. It’s tempting to get all excited and try everything all at once. For now, my recommendation is to take a chill pill and start gradually trying things out before you go all crazy (like I did). If you’re going to make this a way of life, its gotta be sustainable. Slow and steady wins the race.
adding back the bran
Bran Muffins in separate bowl, cover 2 cups bran in with 3 cups buttermilk or whey. Stir to moisten all and set aside. In large bowl sift together: 3 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour 1 Tablespoons baking powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons salt
in smaller bowl, cream together: 1 cup butter with 1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup molasses. Add 3 eggs and mix well between eggs. Pour sugar/egg mixture into dry ingredients and add moistened bran. Stir only to moisten. Pour into prepared muffin tins. – Bake 400 F for about 20 minutes. When done, remove from heat and let sit in tin to cool slightly before removing.
I hope you’ll give some of these recipes a try, and I hope you’ll start being creative in finding new ways to incorporate wheat into your every day life.
Let me know how it goes.
Warmly,
Cindy Suelzle
Those with gluten sensitivities may have to eliminate wheat from their diets, and those with celiac disease must avoid all gluten in any form. ↩︎
I do not know what I ever did in the pre-earth life to deserve to be born in Canada. I suspect I didn’t ‘deserve’ it; nevertheless Heavenly Father saw fit to place me here and now. I am so grateful for that mercy and blessing.
There are so many things in our life to be grateful for …. sometimes we don’t even think about the blessing of ‘where we are’. Canada.
Thank you to all those immigrant grandparents and great grandparents who made it possible for this to be the land of my inheritance
I did not know this, but the last German POWs were not released from the Soviet Union until 1956!
While the western Allies released their final World War II prisoners in 1948, many German POWs in the U.S.S.R. were kept under lock and key for several more years. Most were used as slave labor in copper or coal mines, and anywhere between 400,000 and one million eventually died while in Russian custody. Some 20,000 former soldiers were still in Soviet hands at the time of Stalin’s death in 1953, and the last 10,000 didn’t get their freedom until 1955 and 1956—a full decade after the war had ended.
Among the delayed released POW’s (not likely in this picture) was one Gotthold Sulzle, Dan’s grandfather Jakob’s brother.
Gotthold appears to have been born in Cogealac, Romania. He went to Germany for work just prior to WWII and as a German was drafted into the German Army. He served on the Russian front and became a Russian POW. Gotthold was decorated with 2 iron crosses (a German military award awarded for bravery on the battlefront).
After WWII ended, Gotthold attempted to immigrate to Canada where other family members had immigrated, however he was unable to take his family with him at the time. Having already been separated from his family for too long, he decided instead to immigrate to Australia.
That is how a branch of Dan’s German family ended up in Australia.
– picture and information shared from Linda Sülzle-Michl.
*note: I am not making any statements about this nationality or that nationality. There were (and there are) terrible things that happened (and happen) to individuals and to families as a result of hate and wicked people – wherever they are. I do however have a tenderness for those who suffer, and an appreciation and admiration for those who overcome and show me a better way. I am attracted to real life examples of the strength and resilience of the indomitable human spirit. They strengthen me and encourage me.
I also feel so much love and appreciation for those first generation immigrants who in many cases sacrificed much so their children could have the better life that eluded them. Dan’s grandparents came from German occupied Poland shortly after the first world war. They had been people of means; educated, land owning farmers. For the rest of their lives while living in Canada, they were labourers and I personally never heard Dan’s grandmother speak very much English. But their children grew up on the prairies and all went on to have meaningful work as they raised their own families in a world of opportunity and comfort – free from fear for their safety. Their children’s children received good educations and also raised their children in a peaceful world of opportunity and comfort. All because Edmund and Olga sold all they had for ship passage, hoping for a better life on the other side of the ocean.
When I was a little girl my mother bought apples by the case this time of year. Usually Macintosh if I remember correctly. They were FRESH, crisp and wonderful, and we stored them in our cold room in the basement.
We loved eating them and could have one whenever we wanted during those weeks. I equate fresh crispy apples with fall school days.
My mom would put some in a bowl on the table and I took it upon myself to shine them so they looked nice enough for a table centrepiece. I took great pride in this task, and it was a continual job as the apples got used up quickly. They needed shining because they came to us looking like the apples in this picture. Once I shined them up with a clean damp cloth, they looked like the apples in the picture below – which incidentally, I just shone to go on the table before writing this.
Can you see the three lady bugs that came inside with them? They thought they found a safe hiding place for winter, but ….. sorry ladies, out you go, find another one. Did you know lady bugs can live three years? I love lady bugs.
By the time I was married, apples came from the store already shiny and I puzzled over my childhood memory of shining them. I missed the ritual, and wondered why my mom would have had me shine apples when apparently they were already shiny. (?)
Years later I learned that the apples we buy in the grocery store are ‘waxed’1 to have that shine. I didn’t know with what, but there was no option. They’re all like that after the initial harvest.
I began washing my purchased apples to ‘remove’ the shine . Ironic eh?
But today. Today we brought in our very own beautiful honey crisp apples. They’re in the fridge now, but some inner voice compelled me to shine up a few for the table.
That’s when it happened. My flash back. THIS! Déjà vu. This I have done before. …. Just exactly like this! With a clean cloth. And just like those in my childhood memory, these apples shone up quickly. Almost like magic. And beautifully.
THIS IS WHAT APPLES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE!
Beautiful. Organic. Right outta your own backyard, or outta your community garden, or your nice neighbour’s yard. With a natural matt finish that shines up with the touch of a slightly damp cloth, till you can see the light reflecting in them. Apples in the fall are one of life’s great pleasures.
I hope you get some FRESH apples this fall, and I hope you have to shine them up. I’d love to hear your apple stories.
Warmly,
Cindy Suelzle
Footnotes:
In an effort to make ‘fresh’ apples available to consumers all year round, it is necessary to treat them. “Waxing these foods seals them, protects them from pests and diseases, and prevents them from drying out, thus maintaining freshness.” (*my note: Interesting use of the word “freshness”) https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/food-safety/information-product/fact-sheet-use-morpholine-apple-coatings.html I rest my case with regards to my opinion of eating IN the Season. Is it really necessary for us to eat ‘fresh’ apples 12 months of the year? ↩︎
. Ironic eh? 
