Weekly Update 10/31/17
Happy Holloween Southeast Regional Cooperative Team!!!
What’s new at the mixing center:
Well, we don’t have pumpkins shipping this week, but we do have some tasty cousins of the pumpkin in the form of some nice winter squash. We have acorn squash, butternut squash, and spaghetti squash and they all look really nice. We also have some great looking cucumbers, cabbage and potatoes going out this week. Here are a few pictures:
Did you know?
The produce provided by the Southeast Regional Cooperative generally ships from the farm to your food bank in as little as 48 hours. This is a shorter span (by a long shot) than most produce distributors can claim. This is made possible by the combined efforts of your sourcers, our state association regional sourcers, and the efficiency of our mixing center, where produce is received mixed and reshipped on the same day.
Tips for the kitchen:
One issue that you may face with winter squash is that often folks don’t know how to prepare it. So you might try printing copies of a recipe to send it out to your agencies with your mobile pantry. Here’s one that will work with many different types of winter squash. It’s pretty simple and nice and hardy for winter meals:
Roasted Winter Squash
(A simple and hardy winter dish)
Ingredients:
- Unsalted butter 1 tablespoon (at least)
- Onion 1 cup
- Acorn squash 2 cups
- Spaghetti squash 2 cups
- Butternut squash 3 cup
- Chicken Stock 2/3 cups
- salt and pepper
Chop the squash into cubes. For harder skinned winter squash it is easier to peel if you roast the squash in the oven for a little while first and then chill it and peel it. Cut your onions into thin wedges. Next, place the squash in a baking pan and lay the thin onion wedges on top. Pour in the chicken stock and sprinkle the chives on top. For healthier fare add one tablespoon of melted butter drizzled on top. If you’re like me a little more is good too!
Roast the mixture uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes. Then cover with foil and let it roast for another half hour or until the squash feels soft to the touch.
Enjoy!