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missemerald

Winter Squash Questions

10 years ago

How do you store winter squash? I didn't grow these, they all came from our CSA, but we have about 8 good looking winter squash (delicata, spaghetti, acorn, hubbard, butternut) and I need to move them off the kitchen counter because they take up too much space. Would storing them in the vegetable bin of the garage refrigerator be okay? We have both a garage and a crawlspace in the house but both are well insulated and are warm (not chilly at all in the winter).

Thanks!

Comments (21)

  • 10 years ago

    I would say that garage is ok, Just keep them in the coolest spot.
    Refrigerator, of course, is much better but I don't think it is necessary.

    Then the question is: how long you want to keep them ? Till around Thanksgiving ? Then garage is good. Otherwise refrigerator.

  • 10 years ago

    Winter squashes store better at room temperature. 50-70 degrees is fine. I store mine in the bedroom, and they last for months (we've eaten them for Easter dinner).

    There is a lengthy post I've linked below with lots of good information about storing and using winter squash.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Butternut Squash

  • 10 years ago

    And for much longer storage you can, of course, freeze or can them. Handy because they are already peeled and partially cooked so able to serve it much faster.

    Dave

  • 10 years ago

    If you want to keep them a long time, refrigeration is NOT the way to go. Providing they are properly cured, shell hard enough that you can't puncture the skin with your fingernail, they can last up to 6 months. You need a cool dark place, not a place where they could freeze, and you need to check them weekly. Each week, move them so that they are not laying on the same spot of rind. During the weekly 'visit' you also need to check for any soft spot. If you find a soft spot, you need to use that squash that week.

    Before you store it, it needs to be wiped down with a bleach/water mixture. Most CSAs will do this, but doing it twice won't hurt. This helps to keep the outside bacteria found 'digging' it's way inside.

    I have grown and store winter squash for several years this way. One squash we saved for 2 years. One thing, the longer you store the squash, the thicker the skin becomes and harder it is to cut it.

    Marla

  • 10 years ago

    It has been my experience that some winter squash varieties have much better keeping qualities than others. I remember my mother-in-law was happy to have squash last until Thanksgiving. It usually didn't make it to Christmas. Whereas I have grown a variety of kabocha squash (Confection from Johnny's) and a long necked butternut variety from Baker Creek that lasted well into the next year.
    I would use the Delicata up first. I didn't realize the skin was edible so if you cook it in a recipe that doesn't require skinning them, you would want it at its freshest. We had a nice Delicata from the garden last night. I would use the Butternut next.
    You might ask your CSA for variety names and how long they think they will last.

  • 10 years ago

    If the CSA doesn't give you names, you can look them up online, or post pics and I'm sure we could name most of them.

  • 10 years ago

    Delicata, spaghetti, acorn, are c. pepo, won't keep as long as hubbard (c. maxima) or butternut (c. moschata). I have kept spaghetti squash all the way up till spring right in the kitchen though.

  • 10 years ago

    Yesterday and today (and tomorrow too) spent pre-baking and vacuum packing for freezer Sugar Pie pumpkins, Butternut squash, Blue Hubbard, Kabocha, and Red Kuri. Easy to do and stores well for a couple of years. Vacuum pack in 4 cup portions and they are ready to pull out of the freezer and bake plain or in casseroles, or make pies.

    Dave

  • 10 years ago

    Sounds like alot of work, to me, to process them, we just keep them cool. When we do cook them, we'll freeze the extra.

  • 10 years ago

    We grew tahiti squash (similar to butternut except much bigger) for 2-3 seasons many years ago; my wife would cut from the long necks as needed and simply rubber band saran wrap the end of the squash and put it back in storage until next time when she would dispose of any moldy/dried out meat on the cut end and then repeat the process. Quite simple, cut as needed with no refrigeration, canning, or freezing; works well with Tahiti squash and cushaw that I know of.

  • 10 years ago

    Sounds like alot of work, to me, to process them

    Yeah it is a fair amount but it saves a lot time an work at serving time too. We drag up the old microwave so we have 2 of them working. Cut in quarters, scoop out seeds, 15-20 min in the microwave, peels come off easy, dump in bags and freeze.

    Dave

  • 10 years ago

    I use the oven on a old day, several cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Heats the house and cooks at same time. It's the same way that my adopted grandmother did on the old wood cook stove. I like to set the oven on 200-225, and let them cook over night. The skin gets wrinkled and flesh is soft the next morning.

  • 10 years ago

    I just experienced the same with a successful harvest of various winter squashes. New varieties for me so i did a bit of research. I do appreciate the advice above, though we all have different storage climates. Add to that 80's temp in NYC this week. Cool consistent storage, cleaned and free of bruises or damaged with harvesting nicks to the surface play into shelf life. Stored so they can be checked quickly a few times a week...
    Different varieties have long and short 'keeping' times. I have already roasted a couple of the white pumpkins using the oven heat while roasting potatoes and veggies for a meal last weekend.
    Cubed the flesh and froze. Used some of it pureed in a chowder.
    With a little research i'm a bit more confident to store them for another month and deal with them one by one throughout the winter holidays. A bit overwhelmed with other harvest crops right now...fruits, beans, greens, cukes and the last of the tomatoes.
    Linking a short video i found helpful. I plan to eventually pick one of mine, plan a meal or two around it, roast it, taste it, look up some recipes, experiment, puree some with stock, caramelized onions and garlic for a soup?, ...so many options.

    Here is a link that might be useful: how to cook squash

  • 10 years ago

    Personally, I wouldn't try to storage the white pumpkins, I don't use them for human food. Cows and chickens don't even like them. Around here, this is still harvesting time, not storage time yet. Planting too early will cause them to ripen, but not at a good time.

  • 10 years ago

    That is not very encouraging on a kitchen garden harvest forum. 50 laps around the farm for you, meaning, you need to get out more. (kidding)

    Try a roasted white pumpkin, leek and garlic soup with ginger, asian pear and toasted pepitas. Pumpkin is not just for pie and carved funny faces.

    Labeling it not fit for a pig is just bizarre. I have a container in the fridge from roasting, soon to be a soup. It smells of honey and a hint of toasted coconut, a bit nutty. A little grainy but so is the asian pear. Pureed it is a delight.

  • 10 years ago

    I don't think I labeled it not fit for a pig, I just know our cows and chickens didn't like them. Maybe they were picky eaters. I just didn't find that I liked them. And as a seller of produce, not many of my customers would buy them either.

    BTW, chickens and cows don't like green beans either, don't know why, just don't. Our livestock ate our 'extras' and became very lean chicken or beef.

  • 10 years ago

    Interestingly, I just processed and freezed some butternuts. Actually, I didn't grow them but bought them from Trader Joe @ $1.75 a piece , each weighting close to 5 lbs. Good deal.

    I just peeled, deseeded, cubed and freezed them.
    But if you have whole bunch of them WS, how much can you freeze ? So just let them be there, in a barn, garage, basement ..If they have not been physically damaged, will last for months

  • 10 years ago

    MFF, I think it can depend on variety too. We once bought a white pumpkin where the seed had come from South Africa. It was absolutely wonderful but my favorite is sweet meat and my DH insists on growing Rouge d'vitampf (which I think is too watery but it makes him happy and they are pretty).

  • 10 years ago

    It has been an unusual growing season so that could be playing into the flavor outcome. I had a few frost warnings a month ago. Now the long past summer squashes i had not gotten around to cleaning the beds, are producing a second core of green and a new crop.

    Not sure of my varieties. It was a mixed packet trade. The white i roasted was about the size of an acorn i roasted with it. A bit bigger than a softball. I cut them in half, cut side down, on a parchment lined 1/2 sheet pan. That day i was roasting quartered toms, whole garlic heads, onions, peppers, etc, just keeping up with the bounty. About 8 sheet pans in rotation. Made a few different soups to freeze in a muti-tasking frenzy.

    It did not look promising at first. Once it cooled down and settled, while i was busy doing other thing, it became much more creamy and the flavor bloomed.

    Growing for market or farm stand is an exhausting amount of work. Most buyers have no idea what to do with it all. A guessing game i'm sure what will sell. Seasonal crop recipe cards might help. I've done that for my friends farm. When i stop by for a visit, (for corn, i don't grow corn), i'm always asked by strangers, "what's that? what do you do with that?".
    I bet 90% of winter squash/pumpkins are purchased for decoration.

  • 10 years ago

    Most vendors do sell winter squash for decoration, but I had many many people that actually ate them.

    After 15 years I had most of my customer's likes figured out, there were always some new things to come out and some food channel to highlight things, but my customers were consistent in their buying.

  • 10 years ago

    There was a vendor at a FM where we used to go who took the time to print up little string tags for all his various squash with a simple cooking recipe on them. He often commented on how many customers would say something like, "you mean you can eat these?"

    But over the many years he was there he soon had a real fan club going. He had customers telling other customers other ways to cook and eat them right at his booth.

    Sometimes all it takes is to plant the seed and then watch it grow. :)

    Dave

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