{"id":3612,"date":"2013-10-29T15:33:33","date_gmt":"2013-10-29T19:33:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/JackieClay\/?p=3612"},"modified":"2013-10-29T15:33:33","modified_gmt":"2013-10-29T19:33:33","slug":"q-and-a-saving-squash-seeds-hopi-pale-grey-squash-and-apple-walnut-cake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/JackieClay\/2013\/10\/29\/q-and-a-saving-squash-seeds-hopi-pale-grey-squash-and-apple-walnut-cake\/","title":{"rendered":"Q and A: saving squash seeds, Hopi Pale Grey squash, and apple-walnut cake"},"content":{"rendered":"

Saving squash seeds<\/strong><\/p>\n

I harvested basketball sizes of Hopi squash this fall — and we had the squash for our Canadian Thanksgiving this past weekend. You are absolutely right — DELICIOUS. Quick question regarding saving seeds — is there a test I can do to see if they are dry enough to store. Can I then vacuum pack them?<\/em><\/p>\n

I will also send some back to you to replenish your stores (there was no other squash type plant in my garden this year so the seeds should be a “pure” strain)<\/em><\/p>\n

Farmgirlwanabe (M. Blaney)<\/em>
\nOntario<\/em><\/p>\n

I’m sure thrilled that you got a good harvest of your Hopi Pale Grey squash. When the seeds are completely dry, a paper-like husk will shed off the seeds. I would still put them in an airtight glass jar for a couple of weeks just to make sure that there is no condensation inside, indicating that they need to dry more. They are FAT seeds and require more drying than do many other kinds of squash and pumpkin seeds.<\/p>\n

Thank you for offering to send some of your seeds back to me. However, I really don’t need them as we harvested 90 big squash this year! Tons of seed. Instead, why don’t you offer them to some of your other gardening friends so they can help us keep this great squash alive and kickin’? It was ALMOST extinct! Thanks to folks like you, it’s climbing back to safety. — Jackie<\/p>\n

Hopi Pale Grey squash<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thank you for your article on senior living for homesteaders. I envied your picture of what appeared to be Blue Hubbard and Butternut squash. I can hardly get past early summer with summer squash and infestations of squash bugs to have my winter squash mature. I have tried chemical pesticides such as Sevin, and the organic methods such as Dawn dish detergent in the exact amounts given to me, but have had no luck at all. I hand pluck and destroy and remove all eggs on leaves, but to no avail. What is your secret please?<\/em><\/p>\n

Claudia Toenies<\/em>
\nSilver City, New Mexico<\/em><\/p>\n

The squash is one of our rare Hopi Pale Grey squash. We’re lucky that we don’t have squash bugs but have had them before in New Mexico. I’ve had good luck dusting with Rotenone or Pyrethrins, being sure to dust under the leaves as well. They seem to come in “waves” so if you continue to protect your vines the bugs lessen with time. You do need to dust\/spray after every hard rain or watering when you water with a sprinkler. We also picked the adults and removed eggs by hand. If you rake up your spent squash vines and burn them it helps diminish your infestation next year as they overwinter in the dead vines. I hope you have better luck next summer. — Jackie<\/p>\n

Apple-walnut cake<\/strong><\/p>\n

Your book “Growing and Canning your own food<\/a>” page 228. Apple-Walnut Cake. My wife, Glenna, asks if perhaps there is a misprint in the amounts in the recipe. The line where it says “Pour into a greased and floured 13×9 inch baking pan” My wife says it is not pourable, it is so thick she had to spread it down with a spatula, making her think there might be a mistake.<\/p>\n

Stephen Hawkins
\nBoone, Iowa<\/p>\n

Nope, no mistake. “Dump” out in a pan sounds unpleasant so most recipes call for “pour” instead. This recipe makes a thick batter, thinned by the amount of liquid still in the canned apples. It is a heavy cake, not a light cake such as store cake mixes. — Jackie<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Saving squash seeds I harvested basketball sizes of Hopi squash this fall — and we had the squash for our Canadian Thanksgiving this past weekend. You are absolutely right — DELICIOUS. Quick question regarding saving seeds — is there a test I can do to see if they are dry enough to store. Can I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,8,9,13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/JackieClay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3612"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/JackieClay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/JackieClay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/JackieClay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/JackieClay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3612"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/JackieClay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3612\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/JackieClay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/JackieClay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/JackieClay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}