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Gardens are put to rest for the winter, with root crops straw-covered to protect from frost, and old vines composted to amend the soil come spring. There are apples to sauce, tomatoes to stew or turn into salsa, squash to bake and other bits of produce to put up for the winter. Where to start?

Since the rind on the winter squash began to harden mid-September my mouth has been watering for a warm piece of baked squash. Winter squash have good keeping qualities if you have a dry, cool place to store them. They should last well into January.

Cutting into a large, hard-rind winter squash can prove problematic, but a trick I learned years ago can make the job easier. Scrub the squash well and pat dry. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Poke the squash with the point of a paring knife in a dozen places. Place, whole, in oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely. This will make the rind easier to cut through. Then prepare as required for recipes.

Baked Squash

3-inch x 3-inch square squash or 1/4 of a buttercup-type squash per person, peeled if desired.

1 Tbsp butter per serving

1-2 Tbsp brown sugar or honey per serving

Place squash pieces in a baking pan and place in a 350-degree oven. Bake until tender, about 1 hour. Poke pieces with a fork to create holes to capture butter and sugar. Top each with butter and brown sugar. Continue to bake about 15 minutes.

Other sweeteners like maple syrup may be used and cinnamon or nutmeg added if desired. Squash is easy to bake along side a roast or casserole as temperature may be adjusted to the other dish cooking.

Winter squash can be steamed, mashed and frozen for use in soups, stews and pies. Also, squash and pumpkin are good for cats and dogs who may suffer a delicate tummy.

Tomatoes ripening in boxes tend to be a bit drier than vine ripened. Not lacking in flavor, this characteristic is valuable in making tomato sauce, soups and salsas. The lack of moisture makes a thicker end product, especially desirable in salsa. Try Basic Chunky Tomato Salsa, a favorite from Small Batch Preserving by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard.

Basic Chunky Tomato Salsa

2 pounds tomatoes peeled and chopped

2 medium onions, finely chopped

1 sweet pepper, chopped

2-6 jalapeno peppers, halved, seeded and finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

1 cup vinegar, red wine or apple cider

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp pickling salt

1 tsp ground cumin

Combine all ingredients in a large non-reactive kettle. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered for 25 minutes or until desired consistency, stirring frequently.

Ladle salsa into hot jars to within 1/2 inch of the rim. Top with fresh lids and rings screwed finger tight. Process in boiling water bath 20 minutes for half-pint and pint jars. Yield: 5 half pints.

Note: if you prefer a mild salsa use 2 jalapenos, or medium, 3 or 4. Cilantro may be used in place of the parsley. If you happen to have a few tomatillos, substitute them for part of the tomato. This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled to accommodate produce on hand.

While all this preserving is going on, a quick and easy recipe for the evening meal is good to have on hand. Stove Top Easy Cheesy Chicken Bake is quick to fix and uses items generally on hand.

One thing I have found about most modern chicken casserole recipes is I like a lot more cooking time than called for in the recipe. This one says 40 minutes, but we like one hour better. Let an instant read thermometer be your guide. I want 170 degrees in the center of a chicken casserole.

STOVE TOP

Easy Cheesy Chicken Bake

1 package (6 ounces) Stove Top Stuffing mix for Chicken

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut into bite size pieces

1 package (14 ounces) frozen broccoli florets, thawed and drained

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Prepare stuffing mix according to the directions on the package and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine chicken, broccoli, soup, milk and cheese until thoroughly incorporated. Spoon into prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with prepared stuffing mix, spreading evenly.

Bake 40 minutes (I did one hour) until chicken is done and casserole is heated through. Yield: 6 servings.

Note: I made the addition of 1/4 tsp ground black pepper to this recipe. Additionally, when I buy large amounts of chicken, I try to cut part of the chicken into bite size pieces before freezing in 2 pound packages to speed up preparation time later on.

The same with cheese. I freeze in two-cup amounts, which usually fits most recipes. If 1 1/2 cups is good, 2 cups must be better, most of the time.

Do you have a favorite apple butter recipe to share? That is a request that has come in. I have apple butter recipes, but “reader favorites” was the request.

– Share this and any fall favorites by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159, email therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Be watching your mail for seed catalogs and order early. Shortages happen more often than not these days.