Bright, beautiful, orange Butternuts.

What a treat it is to receive a gift from one's compost heap.......large, lush green leaves and beautiful Butternuts! I am like a little kid checking the candy jar....except that I am checking on the slow growth of my baby butternuts. Yes, maybe I am nuts! But it is fun.

Butternut Squash ( Cucurbita Moschata) is also known as Butternut Pumpkin in Australia and New Zealand. It has a sweet, nutty taste similar to that of a pumpkin. The flesh is bright orange with a fleshy pulp and the skin is yellow in colour . When ripe, the flesh turns deep orange and becomes sweeter and richer in flavour.

Nature has to be the best designer around...... these beauties just pop up where they desire....and in turn add interest to the foliage in the garden. I enjoy nursing their generous vines to grow in the correct direction..... but nature still does its own thing! 

Oh what joy a bright yellow flower can bring...... the hope of another butternut forming.

Perfect symmetry and beautifully arranged!

The fruit is prepared by removing the skin, stalk and seeds. Oven roasting is a common method of cooking. Popular in soups, added to casseroles and even used for breads and muffins!

To complement a tray of oven roasted butternut, prepare a selection of potatoes, sweet potatoes, apples, onions and fresh rosemary. Season well with salt, pepper and crushed garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and oven bake until soft. Puree all vegetables and fruit together . Add cocont milk to create a quick and delicious soup.

Summer or Winter, your pantry should never be without butternuts.....in Summer, create refreshing, chilled salads or simply bake butternuts sliced in half, wrapped in foil over the coals.

The Butternut Squash is a good source of fibre, vitamin C, manganese and potassium as well as vitamin A and vitamin E.

Remember to keep the cycle going and return the skin and seeds to the compost. Should you wish to propogate the seeds, simply place in a flat, open container and air dry until dry and ready for planting. Plant in soil enriched with homemade compost and keep moist until seedlings appear . Water regularly, as the butternut is a thirsty vine!

The ultimate, and slightly unusual salad....Roasted butternut  with feta cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds. Served with a drizzle of reduced Balsamic vinegar.

 This salad is an interesting malange of flavours and textures. The soft, nutty butternut, the firm and salty feta cheese, the crisp and crunchy pumpkin seeds and finally the seductive balsamic vinegar! What more could one ask for?


Go out and get creative with YOUR butternuts.....