FORT SILL, Okla. July 2, 2015 -- If you open my desk drawer at any given time you'll find two packages of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, two granola bars and a tin of breath mints. In the drawer beside me there may or may not be two bags of chips (Doritos and Frito Lays, if you were wondering) and a cup of noodles.
So maybe I'm not the healthiest person in the world. I can guarantee you won't find me clean eating or going on a juice fast anytime soon at least not voluntarily. But despite what my workstation may reveal about me, I do try to be a little healthy and I most certainly want to pass on good eating habits to my children.
That's why last Wednesday I took them to the Lawton Farmer's Market.
The market is open Wednesdays and Saturdays during the summer and Glen Carter, the market's supervisor, tells me Wednesdays are not nearly as packed with vendors as Saturdays are. The best day to come is the first Saturday of the month when they allow craft vendors to set up.
Still, we were able to see an array of produce. Most were foods many of us are familiar with such as potatoes, onions, zucchini and tomatoes but I was looking for something, well, weird. I wanted to find something I'd never eaten before.
We stopped by the table of Mary Molsbee who has been a vendor at the farmer's market for four years. She said she sells mostly items that she grows herself but also some things she buys in bulk in addition to jarred items like honey. It was at her stand, amongst the many types of cherry-sized potatoes and onions (they were adorable) and next to the mountain of tomatoes, I found it: a white squash.
Google told me later the white squash also goes by "white scalloped squash" or "pattypan squash." It reminded me of a small white pumpkin, although I was told the taste is not similar. White squash is low in carbs (a 100g serving provides just 3.3 g of carbs) and you can increase your fiber by eating it without dramatically increasing your calorie intake. Plus it has vitamins A, B6, potassium and magnesium.
Thoroughly convinced of the health value in purchasing and eating a white squash, we bagged up our squash (and small heirloom tomatoes that just looked delicious) and headed home to cook up our spoils.
The tomatoes were easy to add to just about any dish, and we got so many that we did (soups, salads, salsas) but the white squash left me at a loss. Do I puree it? Do I bake it? Do I cut it into dinosaur shapes and fry them with Cheeto breading?
I went to Google for some help, but found that my lack of culinary skills left me feeling nervous at recipes with more than four steps (and apparently most recipes require chopping and sautéing and strange things like that). So I did what any girl in my position would do. I quit.
Well not really. Really I am coming to you. What do YOU think I should do with my white squash? If you have any recipes, send them to me through our Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/FortSillCannoneer.
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