Recipes Collection

Here are two very unusual vegetables, and an advertisement for growing your own. You are very unlikely to find these for sale!



Grandma Nellies Yellow Mushroom Beans:



Grandma Nellies Yellow Mushroom Beans (hereinafter refered to as "Grandma Nellies") were brought to Saskatchewan from Russia in the early 20th century. In 1952, seeds were given to Nellie Chernoff, who grew them until 1988, when her granddaughter took over growing them. (information is from Heritage Harvest). Ive been seeing them listed around a few places in the last couple of years and they sounded intriguing enough to try.



These are a pole bean, and like all our other pole beans they have grown long and tall, and produced like billy-o. They are the only pole bean where we are NOT crying, "Hold! Enough!", but that is only because we didnt get a lot of seeds to plant. They are just as prolific as any of our pole beans. They are also very popular around here, and why wouldnt they be? They remain tender until they are quite large, they are an attractive shade of yellow with green spots glowing through, even more so when cooked, and finally they really and truly have a flavour reminiscent of both beans and mushrooms! Theyre delicious!



Like all pole beans, Grandma Nellies must be planted once the soil warms up towards the end of May or early June and they need good support. They begin to produce in about 75 days. After that you just pick, and pick and pick... until frost, probably, although they do seem to produce beans in waves every few days.



Theyve been pretty tolerant of the yellow bean mosaic virus weve had in the garden this year, although they are starting to show a few signs of being stressed by it. They arent the best for resistance to it, but they are not the worst either. We cant complain. Theyve produced a lot of truly unique and wonderful beans. We will grow them again next year for sure.



Woods Early (Prolific) Pattypan or Scallop Squash:



There are a fair number of pattypan squash around, but many of the ones for sale now are hybrids. I dont know why; none have been quite as good as this one, in my opinion. Woods Early, or Prolific, as Ive also seen it listed, was introduced in 1899 by T. W. Woods & Sons of Richmond, Virginia.



This has been a great squash for us. Ive seen this one listed as both Woods Early and Woods Prolific, but whatever you want to call it, its as easy and trouble-free as any other summer squash and starts producing in about 50 days.



These squash are best fairly young and tender, but weve been letting them get up to 4" or 5" across, and theyve still been delicate and not seedy. They have a lovely mild flavour, and excellent texture. They are very attractive, with their space-ship shape and light greeny-white colour. Keep them picked, and they should keep going until frost.



They do need to be cut with scissors. The bushes are a little prickly, and the shape makes them not too easy to get at. Mind you, the same can be said about zucchini in general.

Buttercup Squash Bread

1 pkg (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
2 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 tsp. caraway seeds
1 cup buttercup squash, cooked and mashed
3 cup all-purpose flour

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add molasses, salt,
caraway, squash and 2 C. flour; mix well. Add enough remaining flour
to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth
and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once
to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down then shape into a loaf. Place in a
greased 9" x 5" x 3" loaf pan. Cover and let rise until doubled,
about 45 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until
golden brown. Remove from pan to cool on a wire rack. From: Mignonne
Yield: 1 loaf

Calabacitas (Skillet Squash)

5 cubed small summer squash
1 diced large onion
2 roasted peeled green chiles
or
1 small can diced green chile
1 tablespoon shortening or oil
3/4 cup shredded longhorn cheese

Saute onion in shortening or oil until soft. Add squash and stir until
almost tender. Add chiles; simmer briefly. Sprinkle on cheese and stir
until melted. From: Dove
Yield: 5 servings

Abenaki Squash Soup

4 strips smoked bacon, sliced very thin
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 medium onions, peeled and diced
3 quarts chicken stock (homemade)
4 big potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 acorn squash, peeled and cubed
1 tbs. sugar
pinch salt
pinch hot pepper
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
chopped parsley (if you have it on; hand)

In large saucepan, slowly render bacon until crisp. Add carrots, onions.
Cook until vegetables are soft. Add chicken stock and simmer for 90
minutes.Add potatoes, squash, salt, and pepper. Simmer 40 minutes, then mush or
puree. Add lime juice. Check seasonings and adjust to taste. Serve with
chopped parsley, if you have it on hand.

Anasazi-Squash Stew With Basil And Serrano

1 cup anasazi beans, rinsed and sorted fo; r debris
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut in; to 1-in. cubes
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
6 whole star anise
6 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 piece ginger (2 in.), peeled and grated
2 pcs serrano chiles, halved, seeded, and; thinly sliced
12 pcs large fresh basil leaves, chopped

This fragrant, buttery stew is hearty enough to work as a vegetarian
main dish. Serve with a green salad and fry bread (Indian flatbread) Prep
and Cook Time: 45 minutes. Notes: If you cant find
serrano chiles, substitute 2 fresh jalapeños. You can also use less
common varieties of basil, such as Thai or lemon (double the number of
leaves in the recipe if theyre very small).
1. In a large pot, bring beans, turmeric, and 4 cups water to a
boil. Lower heat to a simmer, partially cover, and cook until beans soft.
2. Add squash, salt, sugar, and star anise. Bring to a boil, lower heat
to a simmer, and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until squash
is tender, about 15 minutes.
3. In a small frying pan, melt butter. When melted butter stops foaming
on top, turn heat to high, add cumin seeds, and cook, stirring, until
browned and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add ginger and chiles and cook,
stirring constantly, another 2 minutes. Add basil. Stir to combine and
cook until basil is wilted, about 30 seconds.
4. Serve stew hot, with the spiced butter poured over each serving. Or
stir all the spiced butter into the pot of stew before serving.
Yield: makes 4 serving

Fried Cherokee Squash Bread

2 summer squash, diced
water
1 c corn meal
1/4 c buttermilk
1 pcs egg

Cook squash in water until soft; leave 3/4 c. water in pot. Combine other
ingredients with squash and water; mix together. Fry in hot oil until
golden brown.

Yield: makes 1 batch.