There and Back Again

A few weeks ago, we spontaneously decided to take a road trip up into the BC interior for the day. Our mission: squash. Our destination: the local produce stands past the Fraser Canyon. Results: accomplished!

Actually, it was a really nice excuse for a day trip. The weather was particularly sunny past the mountains that surround the BC Lower Mainland. Cloudy weather was forecast in the Vancouver area, and up around Chilliwack, it was particularly foggy, so we were really happy to find full sun.

Driving through the Fraser Canyon is particularly beautiful. The loop we took, through the Canyon, up to Cache Creek, over to Ashcroft, and across to Merritt and back down the Coquihalla to Vancouver, covers some of the most diverse landscape in BC. We saw a lot of farmland, mountains and rainforest, sagebrush and desert, azure lakes, poplar groves, miles of evergreens (sadly, some pine-beetle infested growth), and sweeping vistas. The mountains themselves are breathtaking — so many colors and to view.

Around Cache Creek

 

We stopped at several roadside markets to collect squash. Some of the markets were pretty small (but had great prices!), others are definitely very well established: Hilltop Garden Farms in Spences Bridge, Horsting’s Farm Market in Cache Creek, and Desert Hills Ranch in Ashcroft.

We saw lots of squash varieties that we don’t see in the local markets around here and came home with a good collection! I think squash is going to be on the menu a lot this winter!

Goats at Desert Hills Ranch

 

We saw lots of squash varieties that we don’t see in the local markets around here and came home with a good collection! I think squash is going to be on the menu a lot this winter!

 

So far, we’ve roasted one turban squash for a vegetable platter for Thanksgiving Dinner and with the leftovers we made squash-stuff lasagna, which was also pretty tasty.

Now comes the fun part: thinking how we will cook with the remaining squash!

 

 

 

 

Advertisement