We want to thank everyone who stop by our booth last Sunday to say hello and make a purchase, it was so awesome to meet you all!

One question that kept coming up over an over again was how to prepare and cook winter squash. We've provided several basic recipes below to help you with that! 

Buttercup Squash with Apples
Make the most of winter squash when you pair it with apples and brown sugar!

​Ingredients
1 buttercup or other winter squash
1/2 c chopped tart cooking apple
2 tsps packed brown sugar
2 tsps butter or margarine, softened
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon or nutmeg

​Instructions
Heat oven to 400. Cut squash in half; remove seeds and fibers. Place squash halves, cut side up, in ungreased baking dish. Mix remaining ingredients; spoon into squash halves. Cover and bake 30 to 40 minutes or until squash is tender.

Basic Blue Hubbard Squash
You're asking yourself how the heck do I cook this thing...

​​Ingredients
1 Hubbard Squash (you pick the size)
1 stick butter, halved
salt and pepper

​Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 375. Fill a large casserole dish or baking pan with about ½ inch of water; set aside. Take the Hubbard squash and cut in half length-wise much like you would a watermelon (becareful not to cut yourself). Scoop out the seeds and discard them. Place the squash cut side up in the pan with water. Using a fork poke holes into the inside of the squash. Salt and pepper the squash. Add butter into each of the squash halves. Cover the pan with foil paper and bake in the oven for 1 to 1½ hours until the squash is fork tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Using a large scoop or spoon to remove the squash from the shell and mash until a smooth consistency. Eat as is or add herbs and spices.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Cinnamon Butter
A little bit of cinnamon goes a long way and it's so good!

Ingredients
2 acorn squash, unpeeled seeded and quartered
1 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp butter
salt and pepper
1/8 tsp cinnamon

Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss squash with oil; season with salt and pepper. Arrange on sheet, cut side down, and roast until easily pierced with a paring knife, 35 to 45 minutes.

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat, stirring, until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Immediately pour into a small bowl; stir in cinnamon. Place squash on a serving platter; top with cinnamon butter.

Cheesy Garlic Parmesan Spinach Spaghetti Squash
Cheese, garlic and parmesan, fu-get-about-it.
​
Ingredients
1 spaghetti squash
1/4 c butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
salt and pepper
1/2 c parmesan cheese + more for serving

Instuctions
Preheat the oven to 400. Carefully cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Place the halves cut side down in a shallow baking dish. Add a bit of water, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook squash for 30 to 45 minutes. Squash is done when you can easily pierce the side with a knife. Allow squash to cool a bit, then carefully scrape the flesh out with a fork, which will separate it into spaghetti like strands. Heat the butter in a large skillet, over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add garlic and cook until it begins to turn golden. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the shredded spaghetti squash, basil, parsley, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Toss to with tongs to combine.

Now is the perfect time to can pickles! One, because we have this handy-dandy pickle recipe and two, we are stocking half bushels of pickling cucumbers for your convenience. Never canned before? Give it a try!

The first part of this recipe is done the day before you plan on canning. The cucumbers need to soak overnight in the brine, then the next day you will fill your jars and the processing begins

DIRECTIONS

• Wash your cucumbers and thinly slice off the blossom end. 
• Add 3/4 cup salt dissolved in 2 gallons water. Soak the cucumbers in the water for 12 hours.
• After the cucumbers have soaked, drain and get your canning supplies together.
• Get the water in your canner heating while you prepare your pickles.
• In a pot combine vinegar, 1/2 cup salt, sugar, and 2 quarts of water. Place pickling spices in a cheesecloth and place in your vinegar brine. Heat to boiling.
• Fill each jar with drained cucumbers and add 1 tsp mustard seed, 1 garlic clove and 1 head fresh dill or per.
• With kettle fill jars with hot pickling brine and leave a 1/2 inch of head space.​
• Place lids on pint jars and tighten rings. Submerge carefully in hot bath water.
• Place lid on water bath canner. Bring water to a full rolling boil.
• Process jars in the boiling water for the processing time indicated, adjusting for altitude (see below). When processing time is complete, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid. Allow jars to stand in canner for 5 minutes to get acclimated to the outside temperature.
• Carefully remove jars from canner and set upright on a towel to prevent jar breakage that can occur from temperature differences. Leave jars undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Jar lids should not be retightened as this may interfere with the After jars have cooled, check jar lids for a good seal. Lids should not flex up and down when center is pressed. If a lid does not seal within 24 hours, the product can be immediately reprocessed or refrigerated.
• Label and share then store in a cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year.

HOT WATER BATH ALTITUDE & PROCESSING TIMES
Processing time will vary according to your elevation. Hatfield is in the 0-1000 ft range. 

0-1000 ft - 10 minutes
1000-6000 ft - 15 minutes
over 6000 ft - 20 minutes

TIP

• Be sure to wash jars and lids in hot, soapy water, dry, and set aside until needed.

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​This smoothie is best made in a high powered blender, but if you have a standard one here are some tips to help you along.

Salads in a jar have been popular for the last several years, and you might even be sick of looking at all of those recipes, pictures, and food videos on social media, but have you ever really given them a try? They’re healthy, portable, eco-friendly, inexpensive, long-lasting, and have built-in portion control. With so many benefits why haven't we!

Anna Helm Baxter, author of the book Salad in a Jar: 68 Recipes for Salads and Dressings, shares her best mason jar salad tips.

What’s the advantage of using a mason jar? 
Mason jars are made of glass, and unlike many plastics, they are non toxic. They also have tight-fitting lids which maximizes the shelf life of your salads and means there are less likely to be leaks when transporting.
 
Is there a best way to store the dressing in a mason jar salad?
In a mason jar, of course! Second to that, any tight-sealing container will do. Most dressings will keep for a week or two, but dressings containing garlic, ginger or fresh herbs should be used within a couple of days.
 
Do you have a secret to layering salads in a jar?
Always start with the dressing; the second ingredient is going to sit in the dressing so should be anything that will marinate nicely in the dressing (onions and fennel are my favorites). After that, layer in order of weight, finishing up with lighter leaves. I don’t like to add fruits, meats, nuts and cheeses until the day I’m eating the salad. You can create a little moisture barrier using a small square of parchment paper to prevent hard cheeses and nuts from going soft.
 
What’s the best way to eat a mason jar salad?
If you have a wide-mouthed jar, then eating in the jar is the best way—plus there’s no extra clean up! You can also dump the salad into a bowl.
 
How tightly should you pack everything in there? 
If you’re going to eat the salad in the jar rather than dumping it out, then you want a little breathing room so that you can shake up the ingredients once you’re ready to eat. However, the jars keep better when packed tightly because there’s less space for air. I pack the jars so there’s more salad to eat!
 
Roughly how long will mason jar salads keep?
​If the ingredients that go into the jar are crisp, fresh and dry, the salads can last safely for a week, and often longer. If you plan to keep them this long, remember to add meats, cheeses, nuts and fruits the day you plan to eat them.

The season of leafy greens is upon us. Make your own dressings and free your fridge of store-bought versions with these three simple mason jar salad dressing recipes!
​

​​This is a staple at our farm table, can't get enough!

Try this dressing on lightly grilled asparagus spears or a wilted spinach salad with strawberries, either way you won't be disappointed!