Before I set out gardening , I used to believe winter squash referred to the squash racquets that grew over winter .
Only after harvesting my very first “ winter ” squash racquets did I realize all the autumn pumpkin , L. Ron Hubbard , butternuts , and turbans that arrived at the turn of cool weather actually took three or four months to get there !
Cucurbita maxima , Cucurbita moschata , Cucurbita mixta , andCucurbita pepoare summer - growing annuals , maturing through the warmer months and stack away through the wintertime ( with some kind even view as into the next give ) .
Though you may use them right by ( and what ’s more soul - comfort than a butternut tree poke fun to sugary sweetness as the weather turn cooler ? ) , you may also keep them for two , three , or even six calendar month from now .
heal your wintertime squash does n’t take much more attempt than it does to harvest them , and is well worth the extra step .
First, what’s the difference between winter squash and summer squash?
wintertime squash are the pumpkin vine , gourd , and tough - skinned miscellanea you might find in a crepuscule cornucopia .
Spaghetti , butternut , kabocha , turban , Black Futsu , Proto-Indo European pumpkins , and those twisted , warted , creepy - looking variety you put out for Halloween are all different types of wintertime squash .
With the exception of acorn and delicata squelch ( whose skins are soft and edible ) , wintertime squash have hard shells that postulate to be separated from the flesh .
Summer squash , on the other hand , have skins that are raw and full of flavor .
They admit courgette , yellow crookneck squash , zephyr , cousa , pattypan , and chayote squash . These type of squash are ready for harvest time as shortly as they reach an inch long , and it ’s not rare to eat summertime squash that still have blossom attached .
Then there are squash that can fall into either category , look on when they ’re picked .
Zucchino rampicante(also called tromboncino squash or zuchetta ) and tatuma ( tatume ) squash racquets are two vulgar variety that can be harvested as summertime mash and cooked the same way you ’d cook zucchini .
If left to mature through the ending of summer , however , they can be cured and store like winter squash . Because their skins have hardened , they ’re ready like butternut squash at this stage .
Do you have to cure winter squash?
Technically , youdon’t have to curewinter mash . you’re able to pick unripe winter squash at any stage of increment and eat it like summer squash vine , but the flavor of “ dark-green ” squash wo n’t be as rich and fresh as fully ripe squash .
unripe wintertime squash wo n’t hive away well either , so they should be refrigerated soon after harvest .
When is the best time to harvest winter squash?
Winter squash are picked at the end of summer ( typically from early September to mid October ) when their rinds have toughened up , their seeds have fully developed , and their vines have started to shrivel up .
The farewell are the first sign of fruit maturity . Once they turn yellow on their own and the vines front like they ’re on their style out ( before icing hits ) , the squash should be fully ripe .
But do n’t wait until the first frost !
Squash that have been strike with frost will not mature or store well .
A tan , cracked , and hardened theme that ’s died off is a just clue to look at ; so is resistance to the stab of a fingernail .
You might make a slight prick in the skin , but you should n’t be capable to puncture all the agency through the flesh .
The squash racquets should sound hollow when you give it a good clunk with your helping hand , and the skin ’s showy sheen will give way to a duller shade .
At this stage , the urine content of your winter squash is just correct for harvest .
How to cure winter squash for storage
Once your winter crush have fully maturate , cut the squash from the works , leaving at least 3 inch of stem .
The root is the fruit ’s fail - dependable seal against rot and disease , so forfend lift it by the stem and or else adjudge it from the bottom .
Despite their beefy appearance , winter squash racquets actually require a little babying to keep them from bollocks up . Treat them gently while their skins continue to toughen up and the sun cure any cold shoulder or crack that could direct to rotting later .
Squash may develop ground blot on their skin , which indicate where they laid on the solid ground while growing . These trivial spots are merely discolorations and have no effect on the frame underneath .
A few modest marks on the surface are mostly nothing to worry about , but these are the squash that should finally be eaten first .
The same get going for squash vine that might be bruised or fall apart ; they wo n’t keep well . think that any slight ding will only get spoiled in storage and may also affect the quality of the other mash in the pantry .
Once you ’ve harvested all your squash vine , dwell them out in the sun in a tender , well - ventilated region ( around 80 ° F to 85 ° F is ideal ) .
Mine are simply spread out in the thou , on top of themulch , where they last out courteous and juiceless and are not in the way of other garden chores . Keep your pumpkins and squash away from any overhead irrigation or sphere where water is probable to pool .
Related : A Fall Garden Checklist for maximise the Season and Winterizing Your Yard
If there ’s a menace of rain coming , move them deep down to a dry , cozy topographic point like an Ionic dialect near a sunny window , a sun room , or a nursery , or even a cheery windowsill . Just do n’t bury about them !
wintertime squash need 7 to 14 days of lovingness and sunshine to properly cure .
In that time , the fruit continues to “ breathe ” but as its skin hardens , the rate of respiration ( and thus the rate of spoilage ) slows down . The firmly the skin is , the longer it will keep in storage .
call back of the hardened skin as a protective level of armour ; it makes the squelch imperviable to mold and bacteria . cure also boil down the born simoleons in squash , get them sweeter and richer .
I care to turn my squash rackets over after one week and let the other side soak up some sun for the continue week . Under cloudy or humid conditions , allow at least two hebdomad per side .
How to store winter squash for peak flavor
Once they ’re to the full sun - cured , store your squash in a nerveless , dry , and well - ventilate area with an ambient room temperature below 70 ° F .
Very cold conditions ( anything under 50 ° F ) will reduce storage life .
Do n’t just lump all your squash together into a turgid binful and call it good . Stash them in a individual stratum on a shelf ( preferably not touching each other ) with ample air circulation , in a topographic point where they ’re easy to check on throughout the time of year .
Do n’t let honest nutrient go to waste !
Download my Fruit & Vegetable Storage Guidefor printable charts , helpful tips , and hugger-mugger tricks for keeping your produce super fresh for as long as possible .
You want to keep an eye out for blemish and diffused spots . If any coloured marks begin to appear on the squash racquets , move it away from the other crush and project to use it up first . Those marks ( which resemble piddle stains ) will finally coalesce and become water - soak , causing the entire squash rackets to collapse in rot .
Winter Squash Storage Chart
In general , the hard and thicker the rind , the longer it will stack away .
observe : Acorn squash vine is an exception to the curing linguistic rule , as it actuallydeclinesin timbre if leave in the sun . It keeps ( without cure ) in ideal larder condition for a calendar month or two at most .
Sometimes I ’ll get lucky and a squash will store longer than expect . I love to pull out , say , a L. Ron Hubbard in March — a squash that I ’d harvested back in August ! With only a couple of winter squash plants , you could be set on soups and roasts until the following spring when the weather finally turns warm .
Common questions about curing winter squash
How do you ripen immature winter squash?
If wintertime arrive early and your wintertime squash are still green on the vine , here ’s a simple-minded test to see if they have a chance of survive : give them a good tap with your hand .
If the fruits feel and sound whole , and have begun to change color , you may glean them and ripen them indoors in front of a sunny window . Watch them carefully and turn the squash every few days until they progress to the right gloss for eat . At that point , you may lay in them in a cool and dry place .
green squash that were cured in this way may not last as long as mash that were ripen on the vine , so keep an middle on them and endeavor to use them up within a couple calendar month .
Can you eat the rind of winter squash?
Technically , the rind ( or peel ) of all wintertime squash is eatable . There ’s no danger to wipe out it — it ’s just a affair of texture and personal preference .
The thicker the skin , the greater prospect it has of remaining chewy and tough even after it ’s cooked .
That ’s why thin - skinned wintertime squash like red kuri and delicata are culinary darling : their skins much melt away after frying or take on a pleasantly crisp texture after roasting . You may also have some luck with bantam variety of kabocha or butternut squash , which do n’t necessarily need to be skin .
Should you refrigerate winter squash?
Do not refrigerate wintertime squash rackets , as it will foreshorten their lifespan . If they ’re well cured , they ’ll keep perfectly well in the pantry ( and keep longer if the ambient elbow room temperature stays on the cooler side between 60 ° F and 70 ° F ) .
You only need to refrigerate winter squash vine if it ’s been cut or cooked . Download Garden Betty ’s Fruit & Vegetable Storage Guidefor more helpful peak on hive away your green groceries in good order .
This post updated from an article that originally appeared on August 20 , 2014 .
consider the World Wide Web Story oncuring squash .
