serves four 
This is the ultimate fall salad, and its savory pumpkin flavor keeps me from throwing temper tantrums when the summer bounty from the garden starts to lull. If you don’t have fresh pumpkin handy, substitute butternut, Delicata, or acorn squash.
1 pound fresh pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons maple syrup
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cups spinach leaves or mixed greens of your choice
⅓ cup roasted pumpkin seeds (here)
⅓ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup crumbled chèvre (here)
Pumpkin Spice Dressing (recipe follows)
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a large bowl, toss the pumpkin, olive oil, maple syrup, cumin, salt, and pepper. Spread the pumpkin over a baking sheet. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft and golden brown.
Place the roasted pumpkin on a bed of the spinach and top with the pumpkin seeds, cranberries, and chèvre. Drizzle with the dressing and dig in.
Pumpkin Spice Dressing
makes about a half cup
¼ cup mild-flavored olive oil or other cooking oil
¼ cup plain yogurt (here)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 to 2 teaspoons honey
¼ to ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (see here)
Pinch of fine sea salt
In a small jar, combine all the ingredients. Cover the jar and shake well to blend.
how to peel hard-boiled fresh eggs (without losing your mind)
Hard-boiling eggs from our chickens used to be the bane of my existence. Well-meaning friends would request I bring deviled eggs to various gatherings, because they knew we had plenty of eggs with our large flock of chickens, and I would inwardly groan because I knew what was coming.
If you’ve only ever purchased eggs from the store, you’ve probably never had the excruciating experience of attempting to chip eggshell from the flesh of a boiled egg. (I know my fellow homesteaders are nodding in solidarity right now.) It’s enough to make one want to say some very choice words, especially when you have several dozen to chip—er, I mean, peel.
Truth be told, it’s actually a good problem to have and is a testament to the freshness of the egg itself. The longer an egg is in storage, the more moisture it loses. This results in the air pocket inside the egg becoming larger, which in turn makes the shell easier to pull off. Since fresh eggs rarely have had much evaporation occur, the inner membrane remains tightly attached to the shell. And the results are ugly if hard-boiled eggs are on the menu.
There are numerous old wives’ tales floating around that claim to have the magic trick to make eggs easier to peel, but I’m pretty sure they’re all lies.
I tried leaving the eggs on the counter for a week prior to boiling. No change. I tried boiling the eggs with vinegar. I tried boiling them with salt. I tried boiling them with baking soda. Nope, nope, and nope. I tried shocking the hot eggs with cold water after I boiled them. Still miserable. I tried pricking the end of the raw eggs with a needle before boiling. That one didn’t work. It was also an epic disaster.
Then one day I tried steaming my eggs. The heavens opened, the angels sang, and my life was changed forever. Here’s how to do it.
YOU WILL NEED:
Metal colander or steaming basket
Large pot with a lid
Fresh eggs
Make sure the colander or basket can fit fully inside the pot without preventing the lid from sitting properly.
Fill the bottom of the pot with water. The exact amount isn’t important—you just need enough to keep the pot from boiling dry without submerging the eggs.
Place the eggs in the colander (it doesn’t matter how many—you can crowd them a bit if you like) and bring the water to a boil. Put the lid on the pot and steam the eggs for 20 minutes.
Lift the colander or basket from the pot and immediately rinse with cool water to halt the cooking process.
And now, my friends—bask in the experience of peeling a fresh egg without strife, frustration, or bad words. You’re welcome.