Farming in the haze

Here at the farm it has been a smokey week - as it is all over the region, but we don't have the option of escaping indoors when there are greens to harvest.  My heart goes out to farmers (and others) trying to keep up with essential farm tasks in thick smoke or threat of fire and evacuation.  Most of the crew have been wearing masks outside this week and some have found that the conditions have affected their breathing and productivity.  I imagine it affects the plants too - sunlight is pretty key to good ripening of fruit.
Winter squash are coming out of the field this week.  Here's a bit about spaghetti squash.  This is perhaps the "plainest" of the winter squashes we grow.  Many of the squashes are stunning and ornamental - some ride on their good looks, but we always choose our squash varieties based on flavour first and looks second.  Most of the time it is desirable for winter squash to cook to a smooth, thick texture - stringy is not good for pumpkin pie or soups.  But stringy is the thing when it comes to spaghetti squash.  It should have a slightly sweet, nutty flavour.  It can be baked or boiled and then the flesh is scooped out with a fork and used as a pasta substitute.  Try it with pesto, tomato or alfredo sauce.  
Tomatoes are tapering off, as are cukes and zukes, but peppers are going strong and will be regulars in the next few weeks.  The highlight of our September crops has been broccoli - abundant and beautiful heads and lovely "side shoots" (aka broccolini) which are labour intensive to harvest but provide lots of broccoli flavour.  Hope you enjoy all the goodness!