Yes, when your winter squash have matured you can pick them and eat them. Some varieties improve in storage for a while, but not the acorns -- they have a shorter storage life than the others. I honestly don't know if the existing plants will start over -- plants often shut down production when their fruits have matured. But if the remaining amount of summer is long enough you could plant a second crop.

In many places its customary to plant the winter squash so that maturity will coincide with the onset of cool/cold weather in the fall since they store best under moderately cool, dry conditions. But they are tasty year round and air conditioning solves the storage issue. Some of the longest-keeping varieties will last until spring.

When frost comes, the immature squash can be picked and used like summer squash. The flavor is apt to be bland so I use them in well-seasoned stir-fries or pasta sauses to perk them up.

When you're ready to eat the mature squash you can bake, steam, or stew them. I prefer baking them -- often stuffing them into the oven whole (if I didn't want the seeds for anything), alongside my roasts and casseroles.

The flesh can be mashed and treated like sweetpotatoes. I prefer nutmeg on it, my DH likes cinnamon.

Or you can make soup or use it in baking. Its a very tasty hot vegetable as well as being healthy and filling. Different varieties are smoother or stringier, moister or drier. Make note of the ones you like best and grow more of them next year. :-)

Very firm varieties can be cubed (this can take a fair amount of effort), and included in stews, pot roasts, stir fries, etc.

Enjoy!

In my experience, you will not get any more fruit on the plant. If you look at the end of the vines you can see if there are any new flowers coming, but I find that these usually die off before flowering if my other squash are nearing maturity.

I don't know when you get a frost where you are (but I would imagine that it is reasonably late), but around here there is time for another batch to be planted and harvested and that is what I will be doing in the next few days.

Thanks for the info. Guess we'll plant more squash cause we have until mid or end of November. I can't wait to try the first one.

My personal experience with acorn squash, is that, after the skin becomes hard enough that one cannot puncture it with a fingernail, it is technically ripe. But the flavor improves very much if one leaves it for 30 days more before eating. This can be done even in the house. It doesn't have to remain on the vine. I've really only had this experience with acorn squash. My butternut types are wonderful as soon as the skin is hard.

George
Tahlequah, OK

Thanks macmex. We were wondering about the butternut one of the ladies at the community garden was growing. Now I can tell her for sure.

I know I'll have more questions about other winter squash but they are no where near being mature.

Is there any literature out there about growing and harvesting and storing winter squash? Most of the info I've found seems to be targeted to growing squash for marketing and not family use. I guess farmers find that info at ag school or the feed store. It's the little things that seem to make all the difference when growing to feed a family.

There is a great book out there called The Complete Squash by Amy Goldman. It not only will give you great tips as far as growing squash but will also introduce you to many wonderful heirloom varieties of squash and provide you with valuable seed saving info.

Andrew

I'm not home right now, so I can't check. But if my memory serves, Rodale's Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening should have a decent article on it. I'm sure, over the years, I've also read stuff in the National Gardening Magazine (now defunct).

There are some very knowledgeable folk on this forum, most of whom are standing by for your questions. Feel free to ask and then be prepared to sift a bit. Not every answer given is always right on. But generally a consensus becomes apparent.

George

My daughter saw black acorn squash on the vine the other day and is already begging for her favorite dish:

Stuffed Acorn Squash:

Cut acorn squash in half (be careful!!), scoop out seeds

Stuff with a mounded scoop of filling, options below:
- 1 tube of pork sausage fills 2 squash (4 halves).
- we make our own with ground turkey. I add mace, nutmeg, cinnamon and a bit of sage.
- I usually add 1/2 (or so) as much oatmeal as sausage because I like to stretch the meat. Also, the pork sausage is very rich and the oatmeal soaks up the grease.
- My husband is a vegetarian. I mix Textured Soy Protein (bacon-bit-like dry meat substitute), an egg, and spices & flavorings to mimic the meat filling.
- I like to stick walnuts or pecans on the top of the mounded meat filling
- Alternately, you can omit the meat filling and just put equal amounts of butter, maple syrup, and brown sugar in the seed cavity.

Bake in a hot oven until done (maybe 375-400 degrees for 1- 1 1/2 hrs, sorry, I cook in the old-fashioned way). Squash is done when a fork easily passes through the flesh...it's better to be overdone than underdone.

Serve with maple syrup drizzled on the top - one half of a decent sized acorn squash is nearly a meal. The cooked halves freeze well, we generally fill the oven when we make squash.

You can also bake the (cleaned) seeds sprinkled with seasoning of your choice...for about 5 minutes (you have to watch them, they burn fast) in the same temp oven. They make a nice snack and kids enjoy doing it. You could find a recipe for baked pumpkin seeds if you are interested.

If you have not tried Spaghetti Squash - it's very good, no-or-low-carb, it's not exactly like spaghetti, but if you use your imagination, it's a good substitute for angel-hair pasta, and makes a nice casserole. You bake it in a very similar way and then scoop out the fibers after they are baked.

You will want to put any squash on a cookie sheet to bake.

Happy squash-baking!

Kate