Glenda

I love the way winter squashes get sweeter as they are stored, which occurs because enzymes are converting the starches back to sugars.

After a very wet year in which the harvested squashes feel "too heavy" (compared to how a given variety usually feels in a normal year) or the texture is too watery, both the taste and texture of those squashes will improve as they sit there in storage and 'age'. Of course, there's a point at which they sit too long in storage and start to spoil (and even can begin to ferment).

If you keep an eye on your overwintered squashes as the months go on, you'll begin to notice a very slight change in their skin color. This is a sign they're approaching the 'point of no return' and are about to start spoiling. When this happens, if you have several left you still can save them by processing them into puree and freezing it.

Here where I live, I've had Seminole pumpkins last at least 8 months and sometimes longer and I've had Turk's Turban last 12-18 months in a dry year where humidity overall stayed lower than usual. The Turk's Turbans weren't even in a particularly good storage area like a tornado shelter or unheated pantry---they were sitting on a shelf in the insulated but unheated barn/garage.

Dawn

I am trying the Seminole pumpkins this year in the area with my open pollinated corn and the pole beans.