Ask Professor Produce

Never fear, Ivy. A recipe rescue is on the way! [Cue Professor Produce theme song].

But first, the mandatory yet astonishing food geekery you've come to expect from this column.

Come December, sub-freezing temperatures have sweetened all the organic winter squash we carry from Gardens of Eagan and Featherstone farms. Those first frosty nights of fall signal squash to convert its starches to sugars, and squash's high nutritional value actually increases after harvest (namely, the beta-carotene). So now is the time to eat winter squash for maximum Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and potassium impact.

For a fresh approach to squash, let's turn to Ris Lacoste, Executive Chef of 1789 restaurant in Washington DC. 1789 is a multiple award winner of Gourmet Magazine's top table distinction, and Lacoste has been a champion of the local equals fresh and nutritious culinary philosophy. "I try to follow the seasons when making my restaurant menus," says Lacoste, "mostly because flavors are at their best but also because I like to keep my cooking in sync with local rhythms."

How does a chef of such high-mindedness cook her squash? She roasts it. Lacoste puts seeded (unpeeled) squash halves on a rimmed baking sheet. She rubs the flesh with softened butter, seasons with salt and pepper, drizzles with orange juice and maple syrup, and flips them over cut side down on the baking sheet.

Roast the squash in a 400 degree F oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until the skin is blistered, browned, and the flesh is tender. Lift the squash with tongs and poke with a paring knife to check. When cooled, the skin will peel off easily. To evaporate moisture and concentrate flavor, the roasted squash (and any cooking juices) may be sauteed in a dry pan for a few minutes.

"Roasting," Lacoste asserts, "helps reduce the moisture level (winter squash is 89% water), which intensifies the flavor and also gives me the opportunity to season the squash while cooking it. After cutting small squash in half or larger squash in pieces, I season it with maple syrup to enhance sweetness, orange juice to heighten flavors, and butter to add richness."

Roasting is a great option because it caramelizes and sweetens the squash, which steaming and boiling don't do. Of course, maple syrup helps sweeten the squash, too. But why shouldn't humans follow the smart squash's example and indulge in a bit of sugar for the long winter to come?

Says Lacoste, "Once the squash is cooked, cooled, and separated from the skin, it's a terrific base for soups, puddings, pies, breads, biscuits, or ravioli filling. The cooked squash has a much creamier texture than you'd expect from a fibrous vegetable. It also reheats beautifully and freezes well. I like to freeze it in serving sizes to use later in a variety of recipes or as a side dish."

For the sweetest squash, select Delicata and Sweet Dumplings. For creamier squash, the Butternut is hard to beat. For dishes where you'd like pieces of squash to hold up, Hubbard, Kabocha, and Acorn are good choices. But always ask the Wedge Produce Gang which is best, since they get feedback from customers all season long.

Expect this much. It's not going to be a pretty winter for Florida citrus farmers.

Florida is predicting a 70% loss to the state citrus crop due to hurricane damage. Hurricane Frances alone will probably be blamed for over $50 billion in losses to a state responsible for three quarters of the nation's citrus production.

The Wedge's primary organic citrus producer in Florida is a man named Simbai Rosslow - "who is a different breed," said Rick Christianson, Co-op Partners' wholesale buyer. Christianson called Rosslow to see how he was doing after Hurricane Frances, and Rosslow told Christianson, "I was born and raised in Florida. You say the word hurricane to me and I equate it with FUN. Some of us Floridians like big weather." At the time, he hadn't assessed the damage because he "needed canoes to do it."

Perhaps it's a case of organic sour grapes, but Rosslow said it wasn't shaping up to be a good citrus season anyway: A dry spring, followed by a wet summer, and not enough long stretches of sunshine meant that the fruit was undersized this summer. Hurricane Charlie came through and knocked all the big fruit down, followed by Hurricane Frances.

Consequently, all the Florida citrus was late, small, and volume was meager this fall. Nationwide, orange production will fall 19% in the 2004-05 season, the Agriculture Department predicts. If realized, U.S. orange production would be the lowest in six years. Fortunately, the California "eating-orange" production is up 19% already this year, which will help offset the overall drop in production.

Florida grapefruit production is expected to drop to the lowest level in nearly 70 years, but there are other options besides Florida, of course. California's Central Valley and Texas' Rio Grande Valley will control the market, so while grapefruits will indeed be available, do expect higher prices.

The same is true of organic tomatoes. At the time of this writing, bulk organic tomatoes were selling at $3.49 per pound and packs of organic grape cherry tomatoes were going for $5.49 each at the Wedge. By the time this article appears in print, however, tomato prices may have dropped, with replanted Florida crops finally hitting the market.

The only good thing that can come out of this is that Texas and California farmers, and the Florida growers who survive, will solidify their farming operations with the benefit of such high prices.