I have often wondered, who was the first person to chase down, kill and eat a Dungeness crab or a shrimp? Exactly how hungry was this person? For different reasons, I have speculated about the journey that the acorn squash has taken over the millennia, from the vine to the belly, and whoever tried it first, exactly how much time did this person have on his/her hands? When an uninitiated person looks at an acorn squash, he/she might wonder the following: How on earth do you gain access to whatever is inside? And once you breach the exterior, what do you do next? Will it be worth the struggle?

When it comes to vegetable advocacy, my sister Laura and I are second to none. We recently joined a conversation about this humble vegetable. One person wondered what soup kitchens and the like should do if they receive donations of vegetables such as this that are not quite ready to eat. Someone else mentioned that the squash could be accompanied by a recipe card, while another (who may or may not have experienced a childhood squash-related trauma) wondered if preparing them for dinner might be expensive, time consuming, and require expensive cooking utensils. And, this person further asked, don’t carbohydrates like squash contribute to obesity? None of the above! said my sister and I. We have observed that if one can heat up soup, then one can cook squash; that squash are complex carbohydrates and therefore an actual antidote to weight gain, and that all you really need is a little oil and some table salt to make a delicious side dish.

Another wise individual presented this recipe, in marvelously succinct language:

                Halve.

                Deseed.

                Stuff with breakfast sausage.

               Drizzle with maple syrup.

                Bake 40 minutes.

                Enjoy.

My comments to this are as follows: I tried it; it is delicious. You could also do this in a microwave, in a lot less time. I know exactly what I will be planting in my garden this summer. And how soon can I get this recipe on a T-shirt?