Kitchen Safety Tips for working with Squash and Gourds.
Love butternut squash but feel intimidated that a knife + force + oblong wobbly object may result in a trip to the ER to stitch up a finger? Me too! Here is my kitchen hack for keeping human fingers intact while creating amazing squash flesh from your butternut, pumpkin, and other difficult to chop gourds with ease.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Fill the base of a roasting pan with about a half inch of filtered water. Place your rinsed whole organic squash in the pan. Roast the squash for 40-60 minutes, depending on size and density of the gourd. When ready, the skin will have separated slightly making peeling a breeze, and the flesh will be tender and still a bit firm.
Remove the squash from the oven, and allow to cool to a comfortable temperature to handle with your hands. Use a sharp knife to remove the stem and base ends, then slice the squash once length-wise. Scoop out the seeds (you can save these to roast later for a tasty snack 🙂 ) and peel the skin from the squash. Cut into 2 inch chunks or size appropriately for your intended recipe.
This kitchen safety hack will keep your fingers safe and your recipes vibrant with all the plant-strong nutrition found in butternut, pumpkin, acorn and other nourishing squash varieties.
Easy as pie!!
Written by: Ann Collins, MD, RYT
