That's a big squash ...

           The squash matches my walls?!   It is a Candy Roaster Squash, one of a variety of similiar winter squashes related to the Pink Banana Squash that call Southern Appalachia home.  Like the Cuccuzzi that we talked about here for summer, this squash is enough to feed a family with a single squash, but you may want to just make several pies and don't tell the kids its a veggie!  While this is a winter squash and you can keep it whole if properly cool and dry, I prefer to can it, since it is just the one (we bought ours from Jack-O-Lantern Farm at the Greene St. Market last week), and I'm not sure I want to give up the guest room for it.

        Now to putting it up... First, decide how many quarts you will need.... uh oh.  That's a gallon jar, I'm going to need several quarts.

          I'll cut the squash in half crossway, then longways to expose the seed.  Scrape the seed and roast in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes or so til tender.  I'll mash and then pressure can in quart jars.  I'm going to save some out for a pie now that the weather is turning cooler.  Hmm.. I may end up freezing some too, might be too much for one canning session and not enough for a second. 

It's a really big squash!