One of my favorite types of vegetables is winter squash. I particularly like butternut squash. I've canned it and I've baked it and I've even used it in stir fry. I really enjoy butternut squash soup. Recently I bought 3 of these squash with a plan to make a large batch of soup. I would, I thought, make enough to freeze or can the leftovers. I decided I'd choose between canning and freezing when I saw how much I had. If I had a large amount I'd can it. If less, it would go in the freezer. My reasoning was that canned foods last longer than frozen--freezer burn is not a consideration with canning. So a couple of weeks ago I bought some leeks to use in the soup. I chopped them up and froze them in ziploc bags. Then I bought a couple of apples which are in the drawer of my fridge. Next, some celery which is in the drawer with the apples, and, finally 3 squashes. I had decided today was the day I would tackle this project. I knew the squash would last a while out in the cool garage, but I wasn't too sure about the celery. So, it seemed a good idea that I get on with it.
I'm here to tell you, it has been a hard day. Remember me, the lady with the broken wrist. Yes, it's been 25 months, but when it happened, the doctor told me it could hurt for as long as 3 years. Well, turns out my previously broken wrist doesn't like butternut squash. I've had trouble peeling them. I've had trouble scraping out the stringy stuff and seeds, and I've had a pistol of a time trying to cut the squash into cubes. In fact, I've worked on it for a long time today and I've only managed to get through 2 of the squash. One is still in a plastic grocery bag in the garage. I have some time before I will head for bed, but I am DONE with butternut squash for today. My wrist is calling me all sorts of nasty names because of what I've put it through today.
Of course, it's possible to buy already cubed butternut squash in the produce department at the grocery store. And, of course, the pre-chopped stuff is much more expensive than the DIY stuff. In truth, I'd probably feel guilty or lazy buying that pre-chopped stuff at the much higher price when I SHOULD be able to do it myself.
I'll guess we'll have to wait and see on the final outcome of all this. In the meantime, I'm gonna sleep in my wrist brace tonight and hope that I am able to cube up that last squash tomorrow.
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