Autumn Onion Sets and Butternut Squash
by Sarah Flint

Planting autumn onion sets

I like a simple life, so rather than fuss around with tiny onion seeds, I prefer to plant onion sets, which are partly-developed onion bulbs. Easier to grow, they are less disease-prone and seem immune to the predations of onion fly. Planted in October, they mature in June and July the following year, before the spring-planted ones are ready.

A site in full sun is best. They don’t like freshly manured soil, but if some has been added the previous winter, that’s good. In my garden they follow the potatoes, as the earth is open and light. I firm the soil a bit with the back of a rake or, if the soil is not too sticky, with my welly-clad feet. A bed 9m by 1m (30ft x 3ft) will produce about 100 onions.

All that’s required is to push the sets, one by one, into the soil. Plant them 15cm (6in) apart, with rows 30cm (12in) apart. It may sound obvious, but the tip of the bulb should be pointing upward, and showing above the soil.

They need to be held tightly by the earth around them. It prevents them being forced out of the soil as their roots grow and deters some birds from helping themselves (birds are an irritant rather than a major problem. They seem to like to play a game of pulling out the onions rather than actually eating them. Net the sets if they are persistent). As always, keep weed free.

Varieties:
Senshyu Yellow: semi-flat with yellow brown skin. Harvest in June
Radar: very hardy with a mild flavour. A favourite for autumn planting. June harvest.
Autumn Champion: similar to Radar but keeps better
Shakespeare: good-sized bulbs and good skin quality. Harvest in July.

Pissaladerie
(Not quite a pizza and not quite a quiche) Serves 4

• 175g (6oz) shortcrust pastry
• 500g (1lb) onions, peeled and finely sliced
• 400g (14oz) tin of tomatoes, chopped
• A clove of garlic finely chopped
• A can of anchovies
• 10 pitted black olives, halved
• 2tbs basil (fresh if possible and chopped)
• 2tbs olive oil

Soak the anchovies in enough milk to cover - it makes them less salty. Roll out the shortcrust pastry and line a greased shallow flan dish. Prick all over the base with a fork. Put in a heated oven, 350º F/180º C for 15 minutes. Take it out and increase the heat to 375º F/190º C.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a saucepan and gently cook the onions and garlic until soft and golden (about 20 minutes). Add the tomatoes and cook until reduced – about 20 minutes. Spread this over the pastry case and decorate the top prettily with the anchovies (drained and rinsed) and olives. Sprinkle the basil over the top and then put into the oven for 15 minutes. Best served warm.

Growing Butternut Squash

Winter squashes are becoming a popular vegetable, particularly butternut squash, and rightly so. The smooth delicious sweetness of the orange-gold flesh is perfect in soups and stews and especially good roasted. They are fairly easy to grow; disease free, and troubled by few pests. Don’t worry if you don’t have a shed to store them in, they can keep for months in a cool spare room. Their only drawback is that they fill up quite a lot of bed (about 100cm/3ft per plant).
There are many seed varieties available in the catalogues - the classic ‘Butternut’ variety is tried and tested; Sprinter and F1 Cobnut are the earliest maturing of this sort of squash, and Harrier F1 is the one that’s always in the supermarkets.
Sow the large seeds in 7.5cm (3in) pots indoors in April. They need a temperature of 18-21ºC to germinate. Harden them off in a cold frame and plant out in early June.
Find a sheltered and fairly sunny spot; a breezy place could prevent pollination. They love a rich soil and one way of using space wisely in the garden is to plant them in the compost heap! (Just put a few pockets of garden soil in it to start them off). Or dig holes in the vegetable bed 38cm (15in) square, fill with compost and plant the squashes in them. Give them the space they need:1m (3ft) apart or more. When the plant has 5 leaves pinch out the growing tip. 
Keep the soil around the plants moist. As they begin to flower, mulch around them with straw or black plastic to increase the soil temperature.
Once the fruit begin to swell, feed the plants with a good liquid fertiliser every 14 days. Leave the fruit to mature completely before harvesting.

Diseases:
Very few, but downy mildew can occasionally be a problem. Caused by a fungus, its symptoms are yellowing spots on the leaves that turn brown and furry, and eventually black. It can develop in cool and damp conditions. Give your squash plenty of room to breathe so that air can circulate, and plant in full sunlight. Water the base of the plant rather than the leaves. If detected, remove and destroy the infected plants.

Cooking with Butternut Squash

The golden flesh of butternut squash makes a delicious smooth soup. Cook cubes gently in butter along with a chopped onion until soft and then simmer with a good stock for 30 minutes. Add a grating of nutmeg for a fuller flavour. Once it’s liquidized it had a wonderful texture.
I like to add it into the mix when I’m roasting vegetables. It’s particularly good with red onions, courgettes, whole unpeeled garlic cloves and red peppers. Sprinkle over with a good olive oil, salt and pepper, and fresh or dried thyme. Or roast large peeled slices that have been spread with butter flavoured with spices (cumin is good), herbs or even lime juice.
Make a purée by boiling cubes in salted water until tender and then mashing in a liquidiser. Use this as the basis for a sweet pie. Beat 300ml (half a pint) of cream with 3 eggs, 1tbs of lemon peel and 150g (5oz) Demerara sugar. Stir 500g (1lb) of purée into this and add half a teaspoon each of ground allspice and ginger. Pour into a cooked pastry shell and bake in the oven (190º) for 40 minutes.
The cubed flesh of butternut squash is perfect in curries, particularly in green Thai curries, and turns a risotto into one of the most comforting of dishes.

Butternut squash curry
Serves 2

• 1 squash, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 1tsp tumeric, cumin and coriander
• 2tbs Vegetable oil
• 400ml (14floz) coconut milk
• Salt and pepper

Fry the onion gently in oil until soft. Add the turmeric, cumin and coriander and fry for a few minutes. Pour in half of the coconut milk Stir in the chucks of squash and cook until the squash is soft (about 20 minutes). Add as much of the remaining coconut milk as necessary to keep the curry sauce thick and creamy. Add salt and pepper to your liking. Serve with brown rice. As a variation add green beans or chick peas – both add interest to the taste and texture.