Everywhere I go I find a pal

Peter Weinschenk, Editor, The Record-Review

I have 36 butternut squashes standing erect like soldiers on a table in my rockwalled basement.

I am pleased.

The second year of my no-till backyard vegetable garden produced a plentitude of the delicious squash. The harvest was almost more than I could handle. I piled all of the squash inside a wheelbarrow and, only after throwing my shoulder into it, could I move the crop from the garden to my circular driveway. Piled on the grass, I used a hose to give them a nice shower bath, knocking off random splotches of dirt.

The squashes are beautiful, long and tan, with a bulbous end. They stack nicely and I expect they will winter well. I still have two squashes left over from last year. Both are nice and firm, hanging in there.

The butternut squash is delicious, too. To celebrate this year’s new crop, I made a whole wheat crust pizza with garlic-infused butternut squash sauce spiced with crushed rosemary. I threw chunks of locally smoked ham, red onion and fresh mozzarella on top.

It was awesome pizza. The squash flavors were rich, pungent and complex.

You can’t beat vegetables that come out of your own backyard.

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I had one of those “whoa” moments reading Thomas Jefferson the other day.

In his “Draft of a Constitution for Virginia” (1776), Jefferson lays out his plan for a three-branch state government. It’s basically what you’d expect.

What was unexpected, however, was his proposal for counties west of the Alleghenies not yet settled by Virginians. In these new counties, he proposes that both men and women enjoy equal rights, that no slavery would be tolerated and that each new settler would be given 50 free acres.

I was surprised. This was a plan for a multi-racial, gender-equal socialist paradise.

Would this Founding Father voted for Bernie Sanders?

I’ll have to keep reading.

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We all need to try new things.

Last week, I ate cactus for the first time. I am glad I did.

I found the cactus, known as nopales, in an Abbotsford grocery store. I turned them into a delicious salsa for chicken tacos.

First, you have to get rid of the spiny things on the cactus paddles. That’s not so difficult. I used a steak knife to scoop them out. No problem.

Second, I grilled the cactus alongside half of a green pepper. Again, no problem.

I cut up the cactus, chopped the green pepper and added red onion and cilantro to this mixture. I spiced the combo up with lime juice and sherry vinegar.

The salsa very nicely complemented the chicken. The cactus was juicy with a mild, slightly peppery flavor.

Lots of Mexican food hangs on fiery heat. This salsa, however, was not hot at all. It was subtle and mild. The flavor of the chicken survived the salsa.

I will definitely explore more uses for nopales.

Contact Peter Weinschenk at pweinschenk@tpprinting.com