Harvest Season is Here

It's harvest season! This time of year our gardens and markets have beautiful fall harvests. This is a Buttercup Squash, or Kabocha, planted in a Nanaimo garden last Spring. The tiny plant grew and grew into a long vine, with curly tendrils, and large yellow flowers for the bumble bees to play in. Now it is ready to pick, cook, and eat.

You can find these in most grocery stores and at local markets. They have a sweet delicious flavour to them and are excellent mashed.

Use the five sense to explore the squash. Look at the bumpy texture of the outside. Can you feel the skin go up and down, up and down? How does the stem feel? Carefully peel and cube the squash. How does it smell? Let your child scoop out the seeds with a spoon or their clean hands. Feel the squishy stringy centre. Find and pull out the seeds. What do they smell like?

Next roast the squash in an oven safe dish covered for about 45 mins at 375 degrees or until it is soft enough to mash. Add in a few table spoons of brown sugar if you desire. When it is cool enough, yet still warm, taste the harvest vegetable and enjoy! It's great as a side with a meal or on it's own as a snack.