Farro with Butternut Squash and Baby Kale

Kai starts pre-K in August. The Cherokee Nation Head Start program feeds into a Cherokee-language-integrated pre-K, and Kai is going. He is four and a half now, tall for his age, opinionated in the way that children his age are opinionated but with a specific quality of earnestness that I find both exhausting and endearing. He wants to know if things are true. Not whether they are interesting or fun — whether they are true. He asked me Wednesday whether venison was better than chicken. I said in my opinion yes. He asked if that was true. I said it was true for me. He accepted this with the satisfaction of a person who has received a philosophically adequate answer.

I am thinking about the fall food cycle and what to preserve from this summer. The Cherokee Purples are past peak now — most of them have been eaten fresh or given to Terry and Lily, but I have been roasting and freezing some for winter soups. The pole beans I have been blanching and freezing, which is not the traditional drying but serves the same functional purpose. The drying is something I want to learn properly next season, when I have more time and more intention. Everything is a first or second attempt. That is fine. The third attempt is always better.

Danny had a harder week. Two nights of labored breathing that kept Terry up, though he was okay by morning both times. I went out Thursday and sat with him. He was alert, just tired, the kind of tired that accumulates in a body that is working too hard at the basic task of breathing. We watched television together for an hour without talking much, the comfortable silence of two people who have been in rooms together their whole lives and do not need to fill them with words.

Before I left he grabbed my arm — not dramatically, just to stop me for a moment. He said: "Make sure Kai knows the words." He meant the Cherokee words. He meant: do not let me take them all with me when I go. I said I would. I said Lily was already working on it. He nodded and let my arm go. I drove home with that conversation sitting in my chest the whole way.

After I drove home with Danny’s words sitting in my chest, I needed to do something with my hands that felt like an answer — not a grand gesture, just the ordinary work of keeping things. Squash is the quietest of the Three Sisters, the one that stays longest, and pulling together this farro bowl with butternut and dark leafy greens felt like the same kind of holding that the whole week had been asking of me. It’s the dish I’ve been making on the nights when I want Kai at the table, when I want the food itself to say something about where we come from without me having to explain it yet.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 cup semi-pearled farro, rinsed
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
1 small butternut squash (about 1 1/2 lbs), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups baby kale, loosely packed
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
2 tablespoons crumbled feta or goat cheese (optional)
1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup (optional, to finish)

Instructions

Roast the squash. Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss butternut squash cubes with 2 tablespoons olive oil, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and roast 25–30 minutes, flipping once halfway, until golden at the edges and tender throughout.
Cook the farro. While squash roasts, combine farro and broth in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook 25–30 minutes until farro is chewy-tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Drain any excess liquid and season lightly with salt.
Wilt the kale. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant and just turning golden. Add baby kale and a pinch of salt; toss with tongs for 2–3 minutes until wilted but still bright. Splash in apple cider vinegar and stir to combine.
Assemble the bowls. Divide farro among four bowls. Top with roasted squash and wilted kale. Scatter pepitas over each bowl. Add feta or goat cheese if using, and finish with a light drizzle of honey or maple syrup for balance.
Taste and adjust. Add a pinch more salt, a grind of pepper, or a small extra splash of vinegar depending on your preference. Serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Farro with Butternut Squash and Baby Kale — Holding the harvest close while there’s still time