We are getting a little rain now thru tonight. Rowell wanted to re-schedule from tonight, Oct 5th to October 14th. If you were planning on coming out for the ‘Howel with Rowell’, please mark your calendars for Friday, October 14. While we regret having to re-schedule, we are grateful for the rain.
Slices of squash and onion are sprinkled with cheese and topped with crispy bacon for a memorable vegetable recipe combination.
Servings: Makes 6 servings
Prep: 25 mins
Total: 1 hr 25 mins
Ingredients
1-1/2 pounds banana squash
1 large onion, sliced and separated into rings (1 cup)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 cup thinly sliced, peeled pear (1 medium)
3 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
3 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained, and crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon grated Romano cheese
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley (optional)
Directions
1. Peel squash; slice crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. (If using butternut squash, first cut the squash in half lengthwise.) Remove and discard seeds from squash. Set squash aside.
2. Cook onion rings in the 1 tablespoon hot butter for 5 to 10 minutes or until tender.
3. Arrange half of the squash slices in the bottom of an 8x8x2-inch baking dish. Top with half of the pear slices. Repeat layers. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Cover with the cooked onions.
4. Bake, covered, in a 350 degree F oven about 45 minutes or until nearly tender.
5. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine bread crumbs, bacon, walnuts, Romano cheese, and the 1 tablespoon melted butter; sprinkle over vegetables. Bake, uncovered, about 15 minutes more or until squash is tender. If desired, sprinkle with parsley.
6. Makes 6 servings
From: Better Homes and Gardens
Weather spares pumpkins
Oregon growers expect late crop, small sizesBy TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
ANDERSON, Calif. — A later-than-usual harvest of some varieties hasn’t spoiled the pumpkin crop in California, growers say. The cool summer made pumpkins more plentiful but perhaps smaller, said Wayne Bishop, co-owner of Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm in Wheatland, Calif. ”A lot of times when it’s really hot in August, we won’t get any set at all,” Bishop said. “We didn’t have any of that (heat) in August to speak of. The pollination went really well.”
The same was true at Hawes Farms in Anderson, Calif., co-owner Greg Hawes said. ”Everything was a little slower to start,” Hawes said. “The plants are the healthiest I’ve seen. We didn’t get any aphids. … I think the size is pretty comparable.”
California growers have apparently been spared the weather-related problems experienced by some pumpkin growers in the Northwest. In Oregon’s Willamette Valley, for instance, growers are reporting their pumpkins are tiny and the weather may rot some crops before they can be harvested.
Pumpkin shipper George Perry & Sons Inc., in Manteca, Calif., has received a few more orders from the Northwest as a result of the problems there, although most of its clients are California retailers, co-owner Art Perry said.
The business typically takes care of its regular clients first and then ships any extra pumpkins to where they’re needed, he said. ”At this point, we do have some extra and we’re shipping them,” he said.
Dan Van Groningen, managing partner of Van Groningen and Sons Inc., in Manteca, said he hasn’t shipped pumpkins to the Northwest. He said acquaintances there told him that plantings are simply maturing late.
“They’re going to have pumpkins, but it’s going to be after the 15th of October,” he said. “If they’re going to ripen, they’re going to ripen late.
“It’s been an unusual year here, too,” he said. “We’ve got some fields here that are going to be late … Our July plantings are not going to be ready until October 20th or 25th.”
That’s not too late for Halloween, Van Groningen said, because a large volume of product moves in the last 10 days of October.
In California, many pumpkin farms in the past decade have developed into booming tourist attractions. Now in its sixth year of providing entertainment, Hawes Farms offers a corn maze, pony, train and stagecoach rides, pig and duck races and other attractions. At Bishop’s, which offers a bakery and other entertainment, the opening weekend Sept. 25-26 was the biggest ever, Bishop said. Halloween activities are becoming more popular as families welcome the start of fall, Van Groningen said.
“I don’t think people are as panicked about the economy as they were a year ago,” Bishop added. “I don’t necessarily think the economy is any better, but I don’t think there’s as much panic as there was.”
Source: CapitalPress.com
Pick a pumpkin from Historic Hawes Farms (ask Farmer Greg for his recommendation on the right kind) — and make your own pumpkin bread!
Ingredients
1/2 of an 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 8-ounce carton dairy sour cream
1 egg
2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 about 2 cups of cooked/mashed pumpkin
1 cup cooking oil
1/3 cup water
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottoms and 1/2 inch up the sides of two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and the 1/4 cup sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Add sour cream and the 1 egg; beat until combined. Stir in the crystallized ginger; set aside.
2. In another medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, the ground ginger, the nutmeg, and salt; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the 2 cups sugar, the 4 eggs, the pumpkin, oil, and water. Beat on low speed until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until combined.
4. Spoon 1-1/2 cups of the pumpkin batter into each of the prepared pans. Divide the cream cheese mixture between pans, spreading evenly. Spoon the remaining pumpkin batter onto cream cheese mixture, spreading evenly.
5. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove bread from pans. Cool completely on wire racks.
6. Wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight before slicing. Store any leftover bread in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Makes 32 servings.
Source: BHG.com
