Red Kuri is one of our personal favorites - beautiful and very tasty. But like all other winter squash the best results come from leaving them on the vine until the vines begin to die off and the stems are well dried and hard.

But yes you can harvest one early if you wish or if it gets broken off etc and it is edible. The taste isn't as well developed we find, not as nutty or mellow, more sharp.

Does harvesting encourage new production? Yes, depending on how many you harvest early. If the plant is healthy and sufficient nutrients are provided it may set more fruit. But I find that the later fruit are much smaller and few in number so I prefer to let the plant focus on its primary production for quality.

Dave

In the Fresno area, they harvest some kabocha squash for export to Japan in June. In my garden, winter squash not in the butternut family die off before fall. So a lot depends on your particular circumstances and the health of the vines.

Red Kuri and all the squash of the maxima species are ripe when the stem turns a light tan and looks and feels like a dry cork. Like Dave suggests, i'd leave them on the vine as long as you can unless they need to come off for some other reason (frost, sunburn, critters eating them, etc).

For best flavor, they really should sit and cure for about a month after harvesting. I find them to hit their peak around December.

-Mark

If you pick them early, the taste will be a little watery rather than richer later in the year. Considering they are a very sweet squash to begin with, this isn't a huge problem.

I'm a newby to red kuri and accidentally broke off a squash last weekend that was nearly ripe and baked it anyway. it was very good, but I could tell that in a few weeks it would have been even sweeter.

I'm leaving the rest alone till they are ready!

Mark says to cure the squash for a month to fully cure after picking. What is the best way to do that?

Julie

Julie,
For all the maxima squash (kuri included) a little aging is all that's necessary. Keep them in a dry place, room temperature is fine, for about a month from harvest. Same goes for the pepo types.

It's the Moschata squash (butternut, LI cheese, black futsu...) that need special curing for best keeping and flavor.

-Mark

Well, I have two squash from moschata vines that died off already, so I have to ask what special curing do they need?

For me butternuts are the longest keepers but also the latest to sweeten. I don't even bother bringing them to market till thanksgiving because the pepos and maximas taste so much better earlier in the season (and keep shorter so I have less waste if they're sold quickly.)

In order for Moschata squash to keep well and sweeten to their furthest potential, they need to have their thin skin cured well to keep from developing rotten spots.
For starters, treat them like eggs when handling. Squash may seem indestructible but every little bruise can lead to spoilage.
I cut them from the vine, leaving a 1/2 stem still attached. Then wipe off dirt and put them in a single layer on pallets in the greenhouse for about a month. If you don't have a greenhouse, improvise. You're looking for warm and dry, with no possibility of frost. Sun is a plus.
Basically, you're creating an indian summer for them which is rare in the northern hemisphere around harvest time.

If you are lucky enough to have the squash mature while the weather is dry and warm, to the point which the vines die back naturally and the squash is fully tan with straw colored stems, then you can skip the additional curing time.

-Mark

PS, sorry to the original poster, we seem to have taken a tangent. I probably should have started a new thread.

This post was edited by madroneb on Mon, Aug 26, 13 at 13:18

Yes, sorry for the tangent, but thanks for the information! I feel like my squash might not be ready, but the stems are straw colored. It can't hurt to let them cure even if they are in good shape, for any winter squash, can it?

No problem at all. Just watch for mouse damage, or cracking from heavy rainfall after a dry spell.

Double post.......

This post was edited by madroneb on Mon, Aug 26, 13 at 23:44

Best thing about the Red Kuri and other japanese Kabocha (besides the sweet flavor!) is the thin skin, which is perfectly edible. I tend to like the green kabocha, but the Red Kuri sure is pretty.

Butternuts and Acorns are a PITA to peel, for anything other than splitting in half and roasting.

We started our red kuri from seeds that we got from one we purchased from a farm. We planted starts in the ground in late May early June. They are turning beautifully golden, will they be ready before October??

Thank you

jopolitesse- Doesn't sound like it was anywhere near mature yet. You can probably use it as you would a large summer squash.

Rodney

Agree with Rodney - it is safe to eat, it the taste that will determine if you want to eat it or not.

Dave

I will try the curing methods mentioned here... The first Red Kuri I harvested are excellent already, very tasty (and, yes, the skin is at that stage perfectly edible): https://gardenpictures.wordpress.com/2016/08/12/pumpkin-time/

I just cut off my 2 biggest Red Kuri, and let them cure ...the tendrils next to mthem were dry and brown...I thought that was my sign??? At any rate..it's done now.!!!!

How long do red kuri vines get? Do they grow a bunch of vines or stick to a few main ones? What is the average productivity per plant for those of you who have grown them?

My vines got to about 12' long, with some branching. They slowed down in the heat of the summer, but now that it's cooled off they are putting out extra growth and blooms..doubt anything pollinated now will have time to mature in my climate, but I'm leaving them as an experiment. I grew 3 vines and have 16 good squashes on them, with at least 10 more newly developing, that, as I said, most likely won't mature. I also have to say that early in the season, I knocked a few fruits off by trying to reposition the vines, so I may have had more, but I'm happy with my harvest>

Thanks, Donna. I have limited space but loooove winter squash and am just getting into growing it up trellises, so choice of variety is a very serious decision for me, LOL. Obviously, result differ in everyone's garden, but it's nice to know that, under decent conditions, it's not one of those squash that vines all over and only gives you 2 fruit. Especially since production and fruit size tends to be a bit less on a trellis because of the more confined root system.

I think that since you're a good zone or two warmer than I am, you might get even more than I did. They do wilt like crazy in the high heat days..looks like they're going to die, but then perk right back up when the sun goes down. I like them, and will grow them again.

All of my vining squash wilt on hot days. One of my tromboncino, in particular, has been a huge drama queen. During the hottest part of the summer, you'd swear it was dying of some horrible wilt if you saw it at 2 in the afternoon. If you saw it in the morning or evening, though, you'd be convinced it was the most vigorous cucurbit plant you'd ever seen. Largest and most productive thing I've ever grown in my garden. Monster vines and crazy production.

"Drama Queen" LOL...too funny!

They are perfectly edible early, and taste a lot like a yellow summer squash. For a winter squash, it's actually one of the best I've had eaten early. Pumpkins, for example, are edible, but not nearly as good. I've even eaten a few red kuri very early, smaller than the size of my fist, because I had to trim the plant back, and they had already set where I trimmed. At this small stage you can just pull them off and eat them raw. Of course, red kuri gets even better if you let them mature, and that's when they really show their unique texture and flavors that aren't there when eaten early. If you pick it early, just realize you are getting a much different squash than the mature version, and if you have them, I'd keep at least a few on the vine to eat them at their peak.

I live in zone 9b, and I plant squash with the intention to pick most of them early, and by early, I mean sometimes as soon as the squash reaches full size. In my zone, red kuri simply explodes, and would cover my yard if I let it take it's natural course. The plants I are jurassic, with leaves far bigger than my head. The plant always grows first, and sets fruit first of anything else. This year it even set fruit before my arugala grew, which is to say, this thing is the largest fastest growing plant I've ever seen. Because it's so fast and productive, we grow enough to harvest them at all stages. You need a lot of space, but if you have it, this plant will keep you rolling in squash all season.