Fall is here and with it comes the bountiful harvest of those gorgeous gourds we know as winter squash. Different from it’s summer cousin, winter squash grows on a vine and stays there until it’s skin has hardened, allowing it to be stored for 3 to 6 months. Round, elongated, scalloped or pear-shaped with flesh that ranges from golden-yellow to brilliant orange, these fall friends are loaded with vitamin A, and are a great source of fiber. Bake ‘em, stuff em’, make some soup. You can also use them for decoration until you’re ready to use them!
Here is a rundown of the different varieties you may see at the market these days.

Acorn has distinctive longitudinal ridges and sweet, yellow-orange flesh. Although considered a “winter” squash, acorn squash belongs to the same species as all “summer” squashes (including zucchini and yellow crookneck). The most common variety is dark green in color. However, newer varieties have arisen including Golden Acorn, for its glowing yellow color, and some that are white. They can also be variegated (multi-colored). As the name suggests, its shape resembles that of an acorn. This one is good for stuffin’. Roast whole, cut longways, scoop out the seeds and let your imagination go wild!

Butternut is sweet and nutty , similar to pumpkin. It has yellow skin and orange fleshy pulp. When ripe, it turns increasingly deep orange, and becomes sweeter and richer. Butternut is most popular as a soup squash but If you’d like to try something different,  after roasting this guy whole, scoop out the seeds and stuff the itty bitty part with some crabmeant dressing . Cover it with Parmesean and pop it under the broiler until it’s toasty brown. Ooh, mi cher….c’est ce bon!

Carnival squash have hard, thick skins and only the flesh is eaten. Cream colored with orange spots or pale green with dark green spots in vertical stripes, the delicious yellow meat is reminiscent of sweet potatoes and can be baked or steamed then combined with butter and fresh herbs.

Delicata may be my all time fave! It’s an heirloom from the late 1800s and was popular through the 1920s. It’s recent return has got me all a flitter with the ever so tender skin and sweet golden flesh. It’s flavor is reminiscent of corn with a hint of sweet potato. Try slicing them in rings, scoop out the seeds, then saute in butter and thyme. mmmm. Divine!

The Hubbard squash is said to have a mysterious origin, possibly named after a Mrs. Elizabeth Hubbard in the 1840s, who gave seeds of it to friends, thus increasing its popularity. This particular variety is often tear-shaped, red, blue, or grey skin, and like the pumpkin can grow quite large. Some reach 50 pounds in weight! Mostly, I’ve seen the 10 pounders. I call it mellow yellow.

Kabocha also known as japanese pumpkin, or kuri squash, is hard and knobbly-looking, with a dull finished deep green skin and an intense yellow-orange color on the inside. It has an exceptional naturally sweet flavor, even sweeter than butternuts. A favorite recipe I found in The Voluptuous Vegan is Red kuri and bean ragu.

Spaghetti Squash is unique with it’s pasta like flesh. The larger the squash, the more flavor. Go for the bright yellow and stay away from the whitish ones. Cut this one in half, longways, scoop out the seeds and place open side down in a baking dish with 1/2 inch of water or so. Bake until tender, then after cooling scoop out the flesh with a fork. Saute for a bit to keep it from getting too mushy. Try it with olive oil, roasted red pepper, and feta!

Turban has colors that vary from bright orange, to green or white. It has golden-yellow flesh and tastes a bit like hazelnuts. These guys come in bizarre shapes with extravagant coloration that makes them popular as harvest ornamentals. The top can be sliced off so it can be hollowed and filled with soup. Festive!

You can do this at home too. Really simple, just mash a peach up with ground oats and mix with warm water until it’s the consistency of pancake batter. Ooh ooh, add some honey for antibacterial action.
Use this delightful mask in the shower to receive the steam benefit. Also makes for easy clean up.

Have fun!

Cucumber-Honey Toner:

Juice 1 cucumber. If you don’t have a juicer, puree in a blender and drain away the liquid.
Add 2 teaspoons of honey and mix.
Smooth your toner on the face and neck area after cleansing. Allow the product to air dry for a few minutes and rinse clean.

Honey-Apple Pack:
Apple is a natural source of malic acid, a popular AHA. Use this product if you are experiencing a build up of dead skin. In a blender or food processor, combine 1 peeled, cored apple with a tablespoon of honey and pulse until smooth. Apply mixture to face and allow it to stay for 15 minutes, then rinse.

Honey and Oat Face Scrub:
Y’all know how I loooove to use  oats in my skin treatments! Here is a yummy way to scrub away dead skin cells while soothing irritation.

Combine 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon finely-ground almonds, 2 tablespoons dry oatmeal, and a dollup of yogurt. Massage mixture gently onto face, then rinse with warm water.

Honey Hair Conditioning Treatment:
This is wonderful for a bathtub treat!

For lustrous, silky, healthy hair and scalp, simply combine 1/2 cup honey and 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup olive oil. Massage scalp with this conditioner, then wrap your hair in a steamy, towel. Relax for 30 minutes. Shampoo and rinse as usual.

From the 5th century BC, the ancient Romans, Egyptians, and Greeks built temples of healing along their coasts. We can thank the Romans for bringing  about the use of marine mud and mud baths for healing.

Hippocrates, Galen, Plato, and Aristotle recommended the use of seawater for treating various ailments such as aching muscles and arthritis.

In 1906, a French marine biologist named Rene Quinton came to a revolutionary conclusion that the internal environment of each living creature is a reflection of the external environment of primordial life. Based on his studies of human blood plasma and lymph, Quinton discovered that seawater is chemically identical to both.
The study of curative effects of seawater continues today and in France is accepted as valid medical treatment.

Thalassotherapy provides us with a multitude of benefits. Seaweeds, algae, sea salt, and briny air are antibacterial agents, help to firm the skin, eliminate toxins and stimulate blood circulation. The healing properties of the sea are abundant and widely used today in spas throughout the world.

Curious? You can schedule a Thalassotherapy session with me at Texas Healing Arts. Go to www.texashealing arts.com and look for the “book and appointment” tab. There you will find services like “mud spot treatment” and “the full shebang” (a sea salt scrub followed by massage)

I’ll be teaching a Continuing Education workshop on Thalassotherapy this summer, so if you are an MT looking for some interesting CE classes, check the THAI website.

For now, I’ll leave you with a few recipes to try at home.
Be well!

Seaweed Lotion
1 T. kelp powder
1 c. distilled, mineral, or floral water
1/2 c. aloe vera gel
1 T. almond oil

Combine kelp powder and water in a nonmetal bowl and mix. Add aloe vera and almond oil to the kelp mixture. Add more water to bring to desired consistency.
Bottle or jar and refrigerate. Keeps up to 6 months.

Sea Salt Detoxification Bath
2 c. sea salt
2T. oil of choce - sweet almond, grapeseed, apricot kernal…

Pour ingredients into the tub while it is filling with water and mix well. Soak for 20 - 30 minutes.

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale ) is used to treat wounds and reduce the inflammation associated with sprains and broken bones. The roots and leaves contain allantoin, a substance that helps new skin cells grow, along with other substances that reduce inflammation and keep skin healthy. In folk medicine, Comfrey ointments were often applied to the surface of the skin to heal bruises as well as pulled muscles and ligaments, fractures, sprains, strains, and osteoarthritis. A decoction prepared with comfrey root or an infusion prepared with the leaves of the herb makes a wonderful eyewash for tender, inflamed eyes as well as a cleanser for skin conditions like eczema, acne, and psoriasis.

Eostre is connected with renewal and fertility. Eggs and rabbits are sacred to Her, as is the full moon, since the ancients saw in its markings the image of a rabbit or hare. She is also a dawn goddess, and may be related to the Greek Goddess of the dawn Eos. She is shown here at dawn, quickening the land, while the full moon sets behind Her.

The Purpose and the Way of Action of a Ginger Compress:
We should never forget however that these stagnations and deposits originated in our way of living. Primarily in our way of eating, especially by using too much meat, cheese, butter, sugar, eggs and milk. Everyone can benefit from the effect of a ginger compress, but to produce a lasting improvement we must also change our way of eating. However, even when we have been eating natural balanced wholesome food for years, not necessarily will all our hardenings, deposits, and stagnations caused by our past living habits disappeared. Their disappearance can be achieved by:
1) Activity (work, exercise): this is the best way to increase our circulation in general.
2) Controlling overeating and chewing your foods thoroughly.
3) Ginger compresses: this may be one of the best ways to stimulate circulation at certain stagnated or tens locations.
4) Massage!

Ingredients….
2 and 3/4 c. flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (omit this if you like flat cookies)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup of butter…no wonder I like this recipe!
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla (I used almond extract and reduced it to 1/2. Almond tastes so old fashioned.)

Do this…
Cream butter and sugar.
In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients.
Add egg and vanilla or almond extract to butter/sugar. Blend until light and fluffy.
Gradually blend dry ingredients into butter sugar egg.
Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Or roll out and use cut out shapes.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Mine were perfect at 12 minutes.

We also sprinkled red colored cinnamon sugar before baking to give the holiday flare.

Makes about 4 dozen.

I hope you bake some of these for your friends and neighbors! Enjoy! I’m taking the last batch out of the oven right now!

The Christmas sauna

The sauna has a special place in the Christmas traditions of many Finnish families. In past times, peasant families started heating their saunas two days before Christmas so that everybody could bathe before the sun set on Christmas eve. It was believed that once the darkness set in, the sauna would be used by the invisible folk, the previous inhabitants of the house. In lighter versions of the tale, the visitors would be sauna elves, who also brought good fortune to the house.

Even in modern times, many families go to the sauna as part of the Christmas eve preparations. After the sauna, they visit the graves of their families and friends before settling down for the festive dinner.