Spiced squash stew a la Boston Organics

We received our first order from Boston Organics this week.  In the box: grapefruit, oranges, apples, pears, bananas, broccoli, spinach, sprouts, a butternut squash, a bell pepper, a tomato, and an avocado. Right now we're getting their smallest box, half fruit and half veg, every other week -- though we may change this to every week if we live up to our plans to cook more in the new year.

I'm excited by the prospect of not knowing exactly what's going to show up at the door with each delivery. It's almost like a little Iron Chef show right in my own kitchen: "Secret ingredient is... butternut squash!"  To make things easier, Boston Organics includes several recipes for the items in the box. On this week's menu? Spiced squash stew with couscous, spiced sweet potato fries (people ordering larger boxes received yams), and tangy broccoli.  We decided to take the stew for a test drive.

The raw materials from Boston Organics:

And the final product:

The recipe definitely lived up to our expectations, so we'll be game to try the others.

The low down on Boston Organic's goods: "We buy locally as much as possible. During the late spring, summer, and fall, alot of the produce comes from Vermont, Maryland, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. However, because of a limited growing season, difficult growing conditions, scarce labor pool, and suburban development, the organic wholesale market in New England is limited. As a result, a large portion comes from California. Tropical fruit, such as bananas and mangoes, comes from organic farms in Central and South America."