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A fun squash, chayote is now in season

Recipe: Chayote casserole could be holiday dish

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED OCT 20, 2019

Chayote has a large seed that must be removed. (Photos: Debbie Arrington)

Chayote are fun to grow. On trellises, the fruit dangles down for easy picking. Just watch out for any prickles when grabbing a vegetable pear.

Watch out for prickles when harvesting chayote.

The vines can grow 30 feet or more and will cover anything in their way -- such as an arbor or a garden shed. The squash arrives late in the season and keeps for up to a month in the refrigerator.

Native to the Caribbean, chayote is also known as mirliton squash. In Louisiana, it's a traditional part of Cajun and Creole Thanksgiving and holiday get-togethers.

Usually, I cook chayote as simply as possible. I split them open, pop out the over-sized seed and microwave them on a pie plate; cut side down first. (Don't bother peeling.) I zap them on high for 3 minutes, covered, then turn them over for another 3 minutes or until fork tender. (Big ones take longer.) Topped by cheese or butter, it's an instant side dish.

For upcoming holiday get-togethers (or any time there's an abundance of chayote), try this easy casserole. By steaming the chayote first, it cuts down on oven time and keeps the pretty green squash cubes from making the sauce soggy.

Chayote casserole

Serve 4 to 6

Ingredients :
3 large chayote squash, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon instant chicken or vegetable broth granules
1 cup milk (1% fat or more)
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To prepare chayote: Wash chayote and, with a sharp knife, cut in half lengthwise. Pop out seed halves. Peel squash and cube into 1/2-inch pieces. Steam cubed chayote until fork tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make sauce. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour and chicken or vegetable broth granules to make a roux. As the roux bubbles, gradually whisk in milk. Let the sauce thicken, stirring often. When sauce reaches desired consistency, remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese.

Fold steamed chayote into sauce, then put the mixture in a buttered 8-inch casserole dish. Sprinkle grated cheese and bread crumbs over top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly and crumbs are golden. Serve warm.

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Garden Checklist for week of May 19

Temperatures will be a bit higher than normal in the afternoons this week. Take care of chores early in the day – then enjoy the afternoon. It’s time to smell the roses.

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. If you haven’t already, it’s time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters.

* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.

* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.

* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.

* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.

* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.

* Don’t forget to water. Seedlings need moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants.

* Add mulch to the garden to help keep that precious water from evaporating. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch to 1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.

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