In Mesoamerica the indigenous peoples planted squashes together with corn and beans in a milpa, a kitchen garden where each crop complimented the others.

Squashes for sale at local vegetable stands: yellow, blue, green and orange.A subtle-coloured squash in Las Vegas, USA.They had sold cups of steamed ‘chayote’ on the bus in Mexico – I thought it was a type sweet potato but it turns out that it is a type of small, prickly squash.Our seatmates Pinky and Kumar offered us these candied squash treats on the train to Agra, India.In our Fall menu from the Burgundy region of France, the soup was cream of butternut squash, topped with a drizzle of cream and a sprig of tarragon.

Squash Soup

Guess what we’re having for dinner for the next three months! Here’s a variety of pureed ‘squash’ soup recipes for anyone in the same situation as this poor little dog.

Squashes originated in what is now the southern USA and Mexico. The ‘milpa’ (garden) is done using the Three Sisters Method. The three sisters are planted in order: first corn, then beans and finally squash, and they have a symbiotic lifestyle – each dependant on the other for protection and growth.

More on Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: the Letter Q.