When Sarah Tucker-Boehm received spaghetti squash on her birthday five years ago, she never imagined it would be another commercial crop for her family’s business.
Key Point:
- Spaghetti squash resembles butternut squash on the outside, but when scooped, the meat looks like angel-haired pasta
- Popular in the 70’s as a low carb alternative to pasta
- Winter vegetables sell well in the eastern capital
Riverland farmers said they loved quirky winter vegetables, so the following year they planted personal crops from their seeds.
“Then I introduced it to my step-in-law, and they loved it too, so we decided to make some commercial crops,” Tucker Böhm said. rice field.
It resembles a butternut squash grown on a hard exodermis and seeded stem, but the meat inside is very amazing, she said.
“It’s really fibrous, and when you cook it, you fork through it, and it looks just like angel-haired pasta,” said Ms. Tucker Böhm.
“It doesn’t have an overwhelming taste — it probably tastes a bit like zucchini or squash I guess.
“Squash itself doesn’t taste very strong. If you want to cut or mix carbs, it’s great because it can be used instead of pasta.”
Increasing demand
When Mr. Tucker Böhm’s two-row spaghetti squash planting became too large for personal use, the family sought a market to sell it.
Parkes Lane Produce, located in a family-owned Waikerie, is interested in crops from Melbourne’s fresh food market.
“Then, this year, the market I found last year asked me,’Would you like to plant again?’Because they really enjoy our squash,” said Tucker Böhm.
“So here we are now planting more squash in the abo.”
South Australia’s agricultural market manager, Penny Lady, said there weren’t many spaghetti squash grown in the state at this stage.
“The biggest producers are actually outside Victoria,” Lady said.
There are currently limited options for where to buy.
“There is one wholesaler here in the market that supplies it, and there are many independent fruit and vegetable stores that stock it,” she said.
Lady said its popularity hasn’t peaked yet, but spaghetti squash offers consumers something different.
“Spaghetti squash or vegetable spaghetti is a really good alternative to pasta, especially for those who are considering a low carb diet,” she said.
“It’s also rich in potassium, omega 3, and vitamin C, so it’s rich in nutrients.”
Ms. Tucker Bame states that South Australian growers have an advantage because they can supply crops to consumers in the east before they are cultivated in Western Australia.
The local planting season is October and the harvest usually ends at the end of summer.
However, Ms. Tucker Böhm said the spaghetti squash has a long shelf life.
“They store for 6 to 8 months, so they store for a very long time, like pumpkins,” she said.
Recipe inspiration
Tucker Böhm said he usually uses spaghetti squash to make pasta, but her friend did another food hack.
“She used to make two-minute spaghetti squash noodles,” she said.
“So she cooked it and popped a little bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and maybe stock, and it would taste like two minutes of noodles.”
However, Tucker Böhm is still trying out quirky vegetables.
“Whenever I’m given something new, it’s like a challenge,” she said.
“So I start thinking about different recipes and methods for using it, and I wonder what kind of life it brought to the process.”
Her favorite way to eat spaghetti squash is to pour pasta sauce into the meat and melt the cheese on it.
“Recently, I really wanted to have a tuna mornay sauce or a creamy avocado chicken dish,” Tucker Böhm said.
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