I purchased four large Butternut Squash from a local farmer about a month ago and was putting off preparing them for freezing because they are so hard to peel when raw. You see, I like to freeze my squash in the raw state rather than making a mash of it. Yes, it really DOES work. Well, yesterday, I finally decided to tackle getting the four squash into my freezer and while washing them, I had a small brain storm. Why not roast them for a short amount of time to loosen the skin for easier peeling? I was amazed to find it worked better than I envisioned. When I was finished, I roasted seasoned squash seeds to snack on later. It has always been our family tradition to roast and eat squash, pumpkin, and watermelon seeds. Yes, you read that right, watermelon seeds are wonderful as well.
Freezing Raw Butternut Squash (or any other winter squash)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wash the squash thoroughly and dry. Place the uncut squash on the middle oven rack for one half hour. Remove the squash and let cool enough to safely handle. Peel the squash with a sharp knife and then cut in one half lengthwise. Scrape out the seed cavity thoroughly and separate the seeds for roasting later. Cut the squash in desired sized pieces and freeze in a plastic bag with all the air forced out. A FoodSaver vacuum sealer system works great if you have one and if you do not have one, it is a worthy purchase. Mine is 20 plus years old now and I am shopping around for another FoodSaver to replace it.
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Roasted Squash Seeds
This recipe was made famous with our family and friends by my late mother-in-law. She found squash seeds and even watermelon seeds far superior to tough pumpkin seeds for roasting. This is her recipe. Thank you Irene!2 C. rinsed and drained squash seeds
1 1/2 tsp. oil
2 tsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1/8 tsp. paprika
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Mix the seeds, oil, and seasoning together thoroughly. Spread the squash seeds in a single layer onto a cookie sheet. Bake for about an hour, stirring every 15 minutes until golden brown.
