Whether it’s the crisp fall ambiance and fireplace aromas, or the obvious fact that I grew up in a relatively season’less part of California, every year I find myself “jumping the gun” on root veggies the minute tree leaves begin to color in Maryland. “Goodbye brightly colored tomatoes, peppers, and herbs… hello earth-toned cornucopia of pumpkins, potatoes, squash, and yams!” Reminded that root vegetables would soon dominate the local scene, I held off and began compiling my harvest inspired recipes. I decided that this fall I would stray a bit into alternative pickling and preserving of fall/winter crops (after all the goal of this blog is to keep up with the hobby year round). Returning home from a weekend away in New Hampshire and Maine (see trip photos here), I pulled out my recipe queue, category: pickling. With several pounds of butternut squash, I decided to try the trusted Joy of Pickling’s Crisp Pickled Pumpkin recipe. I modified the original recipe by doubling it and swapping out pumpkin for butternut squash.

I’d be curious to hear what you guys think. Do you typically lean towards more savory or more sweet squash recipes?