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Pathways of Honor will host a dedication of the Legacy Plaza Veterans Tribute to the Grain Valley Parks and Recreation Department on Wednesday, October 21st at 4:00pm.
The Legacy Plaza Veterans Tribute, located in the Butterfly Trail at 711 R.D. Mize Road, honors veterans from each branch of service. The ceremony on October 21st will symbolically transfer the Tribute to the Parks and Recreation Department of Grain Valley. A flag raising ceremony will be conducted by Norm Combs, President of Pathways of Honor, and Dr. Brad Welle, President of the Grain Valley Park Board. The Grain Valley and Blue Springs ROTC students will assist with the flag raising ceremony under the command of Lt. Colonel Richard Yule. The Grain Valley High School band will also perform at the ceremony. Special guests include Mayor Carson Ross, City of Blue Springs, Colonel Don “Doc” Ballard, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, and Grain Valley Mayor Chuck Johnston as keynote speaker. Chapter 243 of the Vietnam Veterans of America will conduct a special ceremony for veterans in attendance. Due to COVID-19 precautions, all guests must wear masks and maintain social distancing. The visitors’ area will be roped off with a single entrance and visitors must sign in upon entry. Seating will be set up in socially distanced “pods” for friends and family. Guests are asked not to attend if they are experienced COVID-19 symptoms or exposed to someone who has experienced symptoms in the past two weeks. Everything is bigger in Texas, including the number of farms. With 248, 416 farms it is more than double the second place state.
But would you believe with 95,320, Missouri, the Show Me State, ranks second. Missouri's number one commodity is soybeans followed by corn, cattle and calves, hogs, and broiler chickens. The Grain Valley Marching Eagles (GVME) had quite a 2020 season planned, with a full slate of Friday night football games, weekend competitions, and a December trip to Hawaii to perform at Pearl Harbor. Unfortunately, those plans were canceled due to COVID-19, but the band soldiered on.
Students gathered for band camp this summer, preparing for a show they hoped to perform in the fall. Restrictions regarding gatherings of large groups once again dashed those plans, but staff improvised, creating two entirely new shows to allow students an opportunity to perform safely. Students were able to perform to socially distanced family and friends at the high school stadium on Saturday, October 10th. Brass and wind students performed a show entitled “Brave New World”, and the percussion and color guard performed a show entitled “Coming and Going”. Each performance was met with rousing applause from the stands. Band Director Travis Barzee said the students and staff embraced a positive attitude, which has helped them endure constant changes this season. “The band has approached the season with an unmistakably strong and positive attitude. It seemed like there was a period of time where I would be forced to give some type of bad news to the students and staff weekly and sometimes daily, but their ungarnished drive and passion for marching band has proven bulletproof,” Barzee said. “I'm most proud of the work ethic and ‘buy-in’ from the students, and specifically our student leadership team. The positive attitude in which they have approached this challenging year is very encouraging for both the future of the GVME and their individual futures. I'm looking forward to building upon the successes of this season and continuing to challenge and push the GVME to new and unchartered territory next season.” The band will perform for parents and friends again Thursday, October 15th and Saturday, October 17th at the high school. The school’s performance will be included along with other bands across the country in a Bands of America streaming event. A link to view the band’s performance will be shared by GVME following the performances for those who were unable to attend. by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society I grew up seeing Great-Grandpa Sanders and Uncle Dave’s cane mill in my aunt’s backyard. It is another one of those “old things” about which I wish I had asked more questions. I’m guessing that in the late 1800s nearly every farmer in Jackson County must have grown sorghum. I’m also guessing that granulated sugar might have been a luxury in those days.
My grandmother always talked about using sorghum and molasses in recipes and a quick look through old recipes books verifies their use along with honey as the primary sweeteners in that time. While molasses is usually made from sugar cane or sugar beets, it is also possible to extract molasses, as well as sorghum, from the cane of the sorghum plant. Their cane mill received a patent on December 13, 1892 and the following statement could be found in a small pamphlet advertising. “While engaged in the manufacture of sorghum a few years back, we J. N. Sanders and D. C. Herrington, of Grain Valley, Mo., realized the very slow movement of our old crusher and the great amount of labor and time lost on account of its slowness. Horses almost given out, sap run down and fire cooled many times during the day. People’s cane would stand stacked at the mill until hopes of ever getting it made up were almost lost. Many crops we failed to get for fear it would have to remain unworked until freezing weather, or that it might sour. With all the above-named disadvantages, our minds, of course, were naturally put to thinking of some plan to do away with the old troubles; and we succeeded in inventing a machine which we thought would be endorsed by the people, approved by the patent office and give universal satisfaction. So, with an output of a nice little sum of money and the forfeiture of considerable valuable time, we secured a patent of our invention which enables us to offer to the people of this immense can country, or the right of a mill, that will make investors rich. Our mill is simple, durable and very rapid, showy, honest and inexpensive. We have practically tested our machine and, therefore, can speak from actual experience. The mills we now have in use have a 12-inch roll and with an ordinary beam, from three and a half to four gallons sap can be crushed per minute, or from twenty to thirty tons of can per day. A cane mill of this kind is worth a farm. We are now ready to sell mill, entire, state or county rights, Correspondence solicited and considered care. For proof to what we have said first correspond with our endorsers. We are yours anxious to please.” Sanders & Herrington Grain Valley, Mo The advertising pamphlet contains over twenty testimonial letters. Here are a couple of samples. If you have driven around Grain Valley very much, you might recognize the names. Grain Valley February 22, 1894 This certifies that the Sanders & Herrington Cane Mill, in my opinion, is the best mill on the market. It works with perfect satisfaction; high runner and does lots of work. Respectfully, Jesiah Seymore Grain Valley, 1894 It has been my pleasure to travel through many of the sorghum states throughout the Union and have examined all the latest improved cane mils and think your mill will do double the amount of work with less draft on team and less work on feeder. Its bearings, if properly adjusted, I consider perfect—but little friction. I am Yours, Joe M. Potts Visit the Grain Valley Historical Society to see the inside workings of the old mill along with the application, certificate and other legal papers and letters involved with securing of the patent. Governor Mike Parson announced October 9th that 39 Missouri libraries were awarded more than $870,000 through the Missouri State Library to help residents access high speed internet for telehealth and distance learning in response to COVID-19.
“COVID-19 has created a massive shift to online services,” Parson said. “Providing our public libraries with the means to meet the need for access to devices and high-speed internet will help close the connectivity gap many students and citizens are experiencing during this time.” Six initiatives were launched on July 2 as a part of the Rapid Broadband Deployment Initiative which uses the state’s CARES Act funding. The broadband funding for Missouri libraries allocated up to $2.5 million for this program. The Missouri State Library and Missouri Department of Economic Development reviewed and approved grant applications. The program was designed to provide grants to Missouri’s public libraries for resources such as hotspots and Wi-Fi enabled devices in support of telehealth and students of higher education. The funds from this program will be used to establish hotspot lending programs, Wi-Fi capable laptops for patron checkout, and expanding bandwidth at libraries to accommodate additional network demands. Locally, Mid-Continent Public Library will receive $82,016 to enhance their existing lending program with up to 215 hotspots . “We are thrilled to be the recipient of this generous grant, which will help the Library support students struggling to stay connected while attending classes,” Steven V. Potter, MCPL Director and CEO said. “Now more than ever, an internet connection is vital for all aspects of our lives—professional, educational, social—the hotspots acquired by this funding, along with the additional matching funds provided by Jackson County will allow customers to access the internet to attend classes and continue their post-secondary education during these very challenging times.” The Community Development Director for a city wears many hats. They are typically responsible for, but not limited to, Planning/Engineering, Building/Codes, Public Works, Information Technology/Geographic Information System, and Fleet Maintenance. The quality and efficiency of the work done in community development directly impacts the quality of life for the residents of a community. Mark Trosen has been the Community Development Director for Grain Valley since June of 2019. The Jackson County resident is a proud parent and new grandparent who was recently nominated to be featured in the Community Profile section of Grain Valley News. When Trosen is away from work he loves spending time with family along with being outdoors and on the water. Boating and fishing are hobbies for Trosen. Grain Valley City Administrator Ken Murphy works closely with Trosen and shared his thoughts on what Trosen has brought to the city in his role as Community Development Director. “We were really excited when we learned that Mark applied for the Community Development Director position. Over the years, I have worked with Mark in his different roles with Jackson County and gained a great deal of respect for him,” Murphy said. “Mark wasted no time getting to work for the city and has done a great job making sure that our difficult programs and projects have a clear direction moving forward.” “Mark’s ability to find solutions to problems that the department is faced with makes him the right fit to lead in such a critical time of growth.” Whether it’s Burger King or a medical marijuana cultivation facility, Trosen works with city staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission to facilitate the process of new businesses showing interest in Grain Valley. There are typically seven steps a new business will go through in trying to partner with Grain Valley in seeing if there’s a fit. 1. An email or telephone call by a business interested in a property. 2. A response by the city with how that property is zoned, available utilities for that site, and rules and regulations for that zoning area. 3. If the location is desirable for a business, they go through a pre-application meeting to review pressing plans and the process of filling out an application with the city. 4. The business stays in contact with the city as they work through questions and details prior to submitting their application. 5. The business files the application with the city. 6. A public hearing is held with the Planning and Zoning Commission and they make a recommendation. 7. A public hearing is held with the Board of Alderman prior to an approval vote for ordinance. “What I love most about my job is getting to work with people. We receive a lot of questions from people on how they may use their property and what type of development may occur. I get to share the vision of the city with people in regard to its comprehensive plan,” Trosen said. “My role also allows me to problem solve, which I enjoy. A recent item we have problem solved and planned for is the recent presentation we did before the Board of Alderman about the city street maintenance program.” “Back in 2018, there was a citizen survey that conveyed one of the main items residents were concerned about were street conditions in Grain Valley. When I started here last year one of the first things I did was looking at the city citizen survey and comprehensive plan.” “That led to a proposal in the 2020 budget that would do a pavement condition assessment for how best we could improve the street conditions in Grain Valley.” “The thing I enjoy the least about my job is that unfortunately, I have to tell people ‘no.’ Simply by ordinance they may not be allowed to do something based on land use or zoning. Those rules and regulations may make us say you can’t put that deck as close to your property line as you would like based on the minimum setback of city ordinance.” “It’s tough to tell people ‘no.’ Explaining why that ‘no’ exists usually leads to people understanding though.” Trosen has been complimented on more than one occasion during Board of Alderman meetings for his preparedness in providing maps, research on city ordinances, and providing answers to questions used by the Board of Alderman to make decisions. “Knowing where to find resources that provide accurate answers is an important part of the job. We depend a lot on the Jackson County GIS system because they keep current aerial photos for maps. One of the goals of our department is to improve the capability of our local GIS so that down the road, citizens can get on the city website and find what they need as well,” Trosen said. “When it comes to city ordinance, it’s both what you remember because of the day in and out of your job as well as doing research. I can recite the building setbacks of R1 zoning district right now, but if you said you wanted to have a particular use in the city, I would have to check ordinance to verify.” “That’s kind of our role with citizens, developer, builders, and companies looking to locate here. We try to be ambassadors for the city regarding ordinances and guide them in where they can find the information they need to have the correct answers to make a decision.” “We don’t want any surprises for people. We want to be up front with rules and regulations so there can be a partnership.” Trosen has most been fascinated with the community feel of Grain Valley. The compassion that people have for wanting to be in the best neighborhoods, fire protection districts, and school district possible impresses Trosen. Trosen paused for a second in reflection before giving his final interview answer as to what is the best advice he would give someone based on his professional experiences. “Working for local government, the only thing you truly have is your integrity and character. If that’s ever tarnished by the way you perform in a particular job, it’s reflected in how people think of you.” “Being upfront, transparent, and sharing accurate information is what I’m judged upon on in my opinion.” Have a nomination for a Community Profile? E-mail news@grainvalleynews.com Wayne's World: Mother Nature, Old Man Winter, And The Cosmic Battle For Meteorological Control10/15/2020
Before deciding what to wear, I checked my weather app. The high was a beautiful 72 degrees! It would just take a little while to get there. At the moment, it was in the mid 40s. Welcome to Missouri. I looked through my closet and decided that a short sleeve shirt would be the clothing of choice.
Although I’m pretty cold natured, I would just suck it up for a few hours. Leaving the house, I was slapped in the face by a brutal, cold wind. I began to regret my decision to wear the short sleeve, but there was no going back now. With a “brrr” I was reminded how much I disliked the wind and the cold. I was also dreading the inevitable: the impending winter. Thankfully, according to my trusty weather app, it looked like it was going to be pretty comfortable for the next week. According to the National Weather Service, an interest in calculating the weather can be traced back to our early history. The weather was also important to some of our Founding Fathers. While he was in Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson purchased a thermometer from a local merchant. In his journal, he noted that on July 4, 1776, it was 76 degrees. I’m guessing he wore a short sleeve shirt. The desire and accuracy of forecasting the weather began to grow with the invention of the telegraph. At this point, you could communicate the weather “on line” (pun intended). Knowing what is happening with the weather is essential. It is for our convenience and our safety. How wonderful it is to be alerted of approaching storms, high winds, or artic air. Meteorology is a science, but one that contains many variables. We’ve all joked about wanting the job of a meteorologist. All you need to do is remember not to wear green and to be right about the forecast about 40% of the time. That’s about a coin toss. From what I’ve heard, you also have to be somewhat attractive. When I worked in radio years ago, I had a friend who told me that one of his professors in college encouraged him to go into a career in radio rather than TV meteorology because he didn’t have “the looks for the job.” He turned out to be very successful in radio, but was still fascinated by the study of weather and wondered along the way if he had “missed his calling.” Mankind has not always viewed weather as a science. Some of the ancients turned to mythology to help explain the mysterious. They invented terms like “Mother Nature” and “Old Man Winter.” The history of the term, Mother Nature, is somewhat confusing, but most believe it can be traced back to the Greeks. The Greek Goddess, Demeter, was over the harvest. She had a daughter named, Persephone. Because of Persephone’s great beauty, she caught the eye of Hades, god of the underworld. He was no gentleman and abducted her, taking her to the underworld to be his queen. She was less than thrilled. Her mother, Demeter was so distraught that she refused to allow any crops to grow upon the earth. The dire situation fell upon the ears of Zeus, ruler on Mount Olympus, and he interceded, forcing Hades to return Persephone to her anxious mother. All did not end well, though. Unfortunately, while in Hades, Persephone had eaten pomegranate seeds (the supposed food of the dead). Because of her actions, she was condemned to spend a part of each year with Hades in the underworld. Demeter gave us winter. The harsh and barren winter months are a reflection of a mother’s broken heart. The beautiful summer reflects the season when Persephone is able to return to her mother. Thus, the phrase, Mother Nature was born. Most people recognize, if not use, the term, Mother Nature. In fact, in the 1970s, there was a popular and humorous commercial on TV to promote Chiffon Margarine. In the commercial, Mother Nature appears and samples what she believes is real butter. Turns out, it’s not butter, but a synthetic substance known as margarine. She has been deceived and is not happy about it responding by saying, “it’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.” The history of the term, “Old Man Winter” has been around for a while too. Unfortunately, the origin of the phrase is even harder to uncover. The term is a personification of winter. It is believed that the term Old Man Winter also derived from Greek Mythology, although the history is not as clear. It seems that various cultures all had different names for the god of winter and eventually the specific names were dropped for the generic, Old Man Winter. His darker side is also known as Jack Frost. In an article for the Chicago Tribune, meteorologist Tom Skilling lists about a dozen Greco-Roman gods and demigods who have been fighting over the weather for quite some time. Can’t we just all get along? From my perspective, I avoid Mother Nature and Old Man Winter. It’s not personal, but theological. From a biblical view, I believe that these terms stealthily undermine and confuse the obvious. God is the maker and sustainer of the universe. Any attempt to assign the weather to anyone or anything else undermines his sovereign authority. God refers to this action is idolatry. As humans, we’re always trying to assign the unknown to the mysterious or attempting to measure and control through the avenue of science. But in the end, that job belongs to God alone. To his first century audience, Jesus said, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times” (Matt 16:2-3). Basically, Jesus is saying, “from time to time, you can discern the weather forecast, but you miss the really important stuff.” God alone is the author of creation and has authority over His created order. This was the message that Jesus was sending when He walked upon the water and then caused the wind to cease and the Sea of Galilee to be still. God can calm the storms of the sea and the storms of life. I respect the work of meteorologists and use my weather app frequently. But, I also recognize that, as humans, we only have so much control. God continually reminds me of that. Not too long ago, after checking the weather app, I headed to the office with the promise of clear skies. However, a rainstorm appeared, unannounced, and I without my umbrella. I smiled and acknowledged God’s sovereign rule over the universe. So, although it might not be nice to fool Mother Nature, it’s best to restrict her to mythology, abandon the term, and acknowledge Father God. It’s also a good idea to keep an umbrella handy just in case. Dr. Wayne Geiger is Pastor of First Baptist Grain Valley, an Adjunct Professor of Speech, and freelance writer. by Cathy Allie As if COVID-19 hadn’t dealt us enough new challenges, the pandemic is taking place in an election season, which in and of itself is generally so distasteful that most of us turn our heads. The 24 hour news cycle has us almost unable to avoid seeing or hearing about the election.
It has me thinking from time to time, however, that maybe I missed my calling, and I should have been a politician. While I really wouldn’t want to have debates or run a campaign, I would really like some of the parts of it—kissing babies, one of my all-time favorite things to do; attending dinners that other people prepare; expressing my opinion in long-winded diatribes that mostly no one will read or listen to; and attending inaugural balls in fancy dresses and big earrings. If I only had a platform on which to run! The origin of the word platform comes from the French, who I don’t particularly love (here’s hoping that did not offend any of the Grain Valley News’ French readership—it’s just that you all are snotty). It literally means flat form and most likely referred originally to the boards that a candidate stood on to deliver his or her remarks at election time. I suppose my platform would have to include some foreign policy. My first legislative effort would be to have everyone’s passport weight reduced significantly. “Oh, you weigh 157? I think you look more like 142,” the perky passport issuer would say, and the traveler would suddenly be thinner in stature. Another significant foreign policy move would be to drastically reduce the price of flights to seasonally appropriate destinations. Flying to the Bahamas in January? $50 should get you there and back. Last minute anniversary trip? “Why yes, we can get you to Italy for a cozy dinner for two for about $100 a piece. Will that fit your budget?” Any good platform needs something about conceal and carry, I suppose, as well. In the case of a middle to late middle age woman, the only conceal that is important is that of the bags under her eyes and age spots from teenage sun worshipping. In a brilliant stateswoman like move, I would provide way stations of various shades of concealers, placed right next to electric car charger stations, satisfying not only the woman who had little sleep the night before but those hoping to control automobile emissions. Plug in and charge the car, grab a little squirt of concealer and apply it while waiting, as everyone knows the best mirror and light for discovering all your facial flaws is the rearview mirror of a car anyway. Climate change has also been an area of great debate in politics the last few years. Is the ozone layer actually thinning? Do we have global warming, or is it just a hoax? Let me assure you that any 50 something woman can tell you that she is having personal summers nearly every day, so global warming surely exists. In my platform, women would be granted the right to have permanent control of the thermostat in any office or home setting. Those who attempted to adjust the temperature without the permission of the HHWIC (Hot Head Woman in Charge—read that for her current temperature and not her attitude, although the two are often interrelated), would be automatically fined. The money from the fines could be applied as energy credits, and pay for most folks’ monthly energy bills. “Honey, the thermostat is set at 60 again. We just cannot run the air conditioner in winter,” an unenlightened spouse might say. “Senate Bill Fahrenheit 451 actually says we can,” the HHWIC would respond and issue the fine. My Domestic Policy area would be one of great relief to the female sector, as well. Washer and dryer manufacturers would be required to have automated hands which reach out and poke offending family members when they mix bright colors and whites in a wash load, or attempt to dry something wool. Also in Domestic Policy areas, dogs would have more freedoms and more say in how things run. I once saw an episode of Judge Judy where she let a dog decide its own fate about who would own it, and ever since then, I have been fairly convinced they are about as smart as humans. As proof, I offer this: with few exceptions, dogs only “speak” when they have something really urgent to talk about, like the approach of a squirrel, mailman, or Amazon delivery; they don’t fuss too much about the meals they are served; and they go outside to use the bathroom, saving domestic goddesses tons of time not having to clean bathrooms. If they really ruled the world, we would have to figure out how to stop everyone from sniffing other’s butts, or hiking our legs to mark our spots, but that is behavior I have seen politicians engage in anyway, and perhaps a column for another day. In my pup-based administration, in homes everywhere, family members would be excited to go on car rides. Naps would be done in sunny window wells. Friendships and political alliances could be formed just over who smelled the most like steak that day. My platform’s health care policy would have a great deal of focus on “cankles,” the area where our calves connect to our ankles. Research labs around the states would look into reducing swelling in that area, creating happier women, in turn creating a happier everybody. On the education front, I would insist upon a common sense curriculum, something which seems to be missing today in our country. In fact the phrase common sense seems to be a bit ironic, since as Voltaire said, “Common sense is not that common.” The curriculum would include things like when you open a drawer, shut a drawer, or if you drink the last bit of milk, don’t put the empty carton back in the fridge. The bulk of the curriculum would focus on our youth, who perhaps still have time to be saved, as I have primarily give up on adults. The online textbook title would be, “What My Mom Would Do in this Case and Why She is Right,” followed by resources lessons titled, “Yes, Mom Did Tell Me That and I Didn’t Listen” and “Thank You, Mom, for Your Good Advice.” The cause and effect lessons with video demonstrations would be called “Damp Towels on the Floor Create Mold” and “Hot French Fries Can Burn Your Tongue.” Finally, no platform would be complete without at least a nod to economics. I read once that individuals can improve the economy with just small acts, like purchasing from a local entrepreneur once a week, outsourcing when you can, and investing in what you believe in. Clearly those are all tied together for me in the restaurant industry. To improve the economy, I will propose that we order carryout from a local restaurant once a week, outsource our cooking to a local catering company, and purchase stock in donut stores. So simple and yet so effective! If my “manifesto” seems a little shallow to you, remember that it is all in fun, unlike the very serious decisions we have ahead of us in the coming weeks in our country’s election. Vote wisely, but whatever you do, VOTE! Cathy is a retired public school English teacher and Public Information Officer. Running unopposed in District 32 of the Missouri House of Representatives is incumbent Rep. Jeff Coleman, Republican from Grain Valley. A former Grain Valley Alderman, Coleman currently serves on the Grain Valley School Board. In the House, Coleman was assigned to serve as the Vice Chair of the Economic Development Committee, the Professional Registration and Licensing Committee, and the Insurance Policy Committee. In addition to his legislative duties, Coleman is a financial advisor specializing in retirement income. Coleman has served as mayor pro tem on the Grain Valley Board of Aldermen, and as the president of both the Grain Valley Economic Development Corporation and the Grain Valley Industrial Development Committee. In 2012, he was named Grain Valley Citizen of Year. Coleman is a member of the Community of Christ Church. Born in Independence, Coleman attended Oak Grove High School and Graceland University. Coleman currently resides in Grain Valley with his wife, Debbie. They have seven children. In a recent interview with Valley News, Coleman said he is focused on working for everyone in his district, not just those who share his party affiliation. “It’s about making relationships and doing what’s right for the districts. We have to battle against our own party sometimes, just like we battle against the Democrats. I am not down there for a party. I am there for the issues,” Coleman said. Asked for an example of a time he worked across party lines for the benefit of the district, Coleman pointed to legislation signed into law last July which provided incentives to General Motors in exchange for continued investment in the state. Coleman said conservative voices on the House side were trying to make deals with Democrats to defeat the bill, claiming it was corporate welfare. Coleman said he used a bill he was working on to extend a tax credit benefiting local engineering firm Burns & McDonnell to successfully convince Democratic representatives from the Kansas City metro area to support the General Motors measure. Rep. Jeff Coleman (R) , District 32
by Denise Sullivan, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, University of Missouri-Extension In the spring, when many people were having a renewed interest in gardening, my husband and I found ourselves a little late to the party. While we have always had a vegetable garden, we got a late start, due to my recovery from rotator cuff surgery.
Our tardiness, combined with the effect of frenzied seed and starter-plant purchasing by the masses, resulted in limited availability of some of our favorite varieties of plants. This led us to try some things that we have never grown before…including spaghetti squash. I’m not sure if it is really is this easy to grow or if the stars simply aligned, but if things continue as they are (in spite of squash bugs) we are looking at a bumper crop that should feed us well into the fall! While most squash are native to Central America, spaghetti squash was first recorded in Manchuria, China in the late 1800’s. It was then introduced to Japan in the 1920’s by the Aichi Prefectural Agricultural Research Station and improved by the Sakata seed company around 1934. In the later 1930’s, this squash variety was brought to North America by the Burpee company under the name of ‘vegetable spaghetti’. While it found a place in victory gardens in the 1940’s, it would take another thirty-something years to really gain popularity. Spaghetti squash is a type of winter squash, which are known for their hard rind and long storage life. Unlike other winter squash that have a smooth, velvety texture when cooked, this variety gets it’s name from the stringy, spaghetti-like strands that result after cooking. It is high in vitamins A and C, which are antioxidants that protect against heart disease and certain cancers. Vitamin A is also beneficial to eye health and Vitamin C helps to prevent bruising and aid skin and gum tissue in healing. Winter squash is also rich in potassium which aids in regulation of blood pressure. With this nutrient profile, it’s easy to see why this low calorie and high fiber vegetable is a popular pasta alternative among the calorie conscious. When selecting spaghetti squash, look for firm yellow squash that are about the size of a football and heavy for their size. They will keep for up to 2 months, when held in a cool dark place. It can also be cooked and frozen, though it may give off liquid after thawing, so plan to drain before serving. This squash can be cooked by boiling, microwaving or oven roasting. My preferred method is to cut in half and remove the seeds and roast on a foil lined baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. I know many people who prefer to microwave or bake spaghetti squash whole, but it is important to remember to pierce the squash several times, with a knife or ice pick, to allow steam to escape during cooking, or it could possibly explode, leaving you with a big mess to clean. After cooking, scrape the squash to release the spaghetti like strands and serve with your favorite marinara or with a simple roasted tomato and garlic blend like the recipe that follows. |
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