Last Updated on October 9, 2023
Are you rising winter squash, nonetheless aren’t sure exactly when and learn to harvest them? Study alongside to be taught! This publish will cowl each factor it’s best to study harvesting butternut squash, pumpkins, and completely different winter squash varieties – along with 4 strategies to tell when butternut squash is ready for harvest.
We’ll moreover cowl some great benefits of space storage, learn to wash, remedy, and retailer winter squash for the most effective future storage, our favorite strategies to eat and shield butternut and winter squash (like freezing butternut squash puree) and completely different steadily requested questions.
With the following tips, you’ll be rewarded with delicious, nutritious squash to take care of and luxuriate in for lots of months to return again. We utterly love having homegrown butternut and winter squash to utilize in soup, pie, chili, breads and further – all winter prolonged!
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When to Harvest Butternut, Pumpkins or Completely different Onerous Squash
There are a selection of strategies to tell when butternut squash, pumpkins, and completely different winter squash are ripe and ready for harvest – along with time, pores and pores and skin and stem coloration, and “the fingernail check out”. Nonetheless, make certain to be taught the perks of prolonging your winter squash harvest as long as attainable (local weather permitting) with our space storage concepts beneath too. When uncertain, wait it out!
1) Time
Most butternut and winter squash are ready to reap throughout the late summer time season to early fall. The exact time it takes for winter squash to mature depends upon the variability, ranging from 60 to 120 days to maturity after planting. So, confirm the define for the variability you’re rising to get a tricky estimate of after they must be ready! Nonetheless, pay attention to completely different indicators of ripeness too; don’t depend upon anticipated maturation time alone.
Local weather and frost will even dictate harvest time. Whatever the title “winter squash”, butternuts, pumpkins, and completely different laborious squash are NOT frost tolerant. The vines are susceptible to frost hurt, as is the fruit itself.
If winter squash are uncovered to frost the protective rind turns into damaged, which compromises its long-term storage ability. As a consequence of this truth, make certain to decide on your winter squash sooner than a tricky frost! If solely a delicate frost is throughout the forecast, you may be capable to insulate the vegetation and fruit with frost materials or completely different defending covers. In case your winter squash or butternuts do get frosted, harvest and use (or shield) them as shortly as attainable.
2) Coloration Changes
As harvest time attracts near, winter squash vines will start to flip yellow or brown and die once more. As that happens, the plant is drawing in closing vitality and nutritional vitamins from the leaves, putting it into ripening fruit in its place. Eradicating late inexperienced fruit from the vine (ones that obtained’t have enough time to ripen) will even help the additional superior squash mature sooner.
The pores and pores and skin of most winter squash will change coloration as they mature. For instance, pumpkins usually flip from darkish inexperienced to vivid orange (or the anticipated coloration for the pumpkin choice). Completely different winter squash might need a further delicate coloration change, nonetheless usually flip from some shade of inexperienced to a deeper rich fall coloration.
Most youthful butternut squash are pale yellowish inexperienced with streaks, and swap a nice steady deep tan as quickly as completely ripe. Our Autumn Frost butternut squash are distinctive: they start out darkish inexperienced like pumpkins, altering to a beautiful frosted tan-orange coloration at harvest time.
Immature delicata squash has mild inexperienced stripes and pale yellow-green pores and pores and skin, which changes to darkish inexperienced strips in opposition to a warmer beige background as they mature (and even an orangish coloration, counting on choice). Spaghetti squash changes from a pale cream coloration to vivid yellow when ripe.
Acorn squash is further tough to guage since they maintain darkish inexperienced the least bit phases. One choice to tell acorn squash is in a position to decide on is when their “space spot” (the spot that was resting on the soil) turns from white-yellow to vivid orange. Nonetheless, that method cannot be used for acorn squash grown on a trellis, so that you simply’ll ought to depend upon completely different indicators similar to the stem or fingernail check out in its place.
3) Ripe Winter Squash Stems
As winter squash and pumpkins ripen, most varieties’ stems will even flip from inexperienced to a brownish tan coloration. The stem will even develop to be increasingly more dry and laborious, which is a method the plant seals the fruit for future storage – and why it is best to on a regular basis try and depart an prolonged stem hooked as much as pumpkins or winter squash post-harvest! Way more, mature winter squash stems usually develop “corking”, the place dry cracks and brown strains appear alongside the stem. A corked squash stem is an environment friendly sign that it’s practically harvest time.
4) Winter Squash Thumbnail Test
The thumbnail check out is one different good choice to tell if pumpkins, winter squash or butternuts are ready for harvest. To confirm, gently poke the pores and pores and skin of the squash collectively along with your fingernail. If the pores and pores and skin is nicely pierced or significantly dents, it’s not ready. (Don’t worry, it may possibly heal itself quickly.) As quickly because the pores and pores and skin is tough and dense enough to face up to puncture (barely dent) by the thumbnail check out, it’s ready! This method is broadly used and useful by Grasp Gardeners and universities alike.
Nonetheless, many gardeners depart their squash on the vines prolonged after this – additionally known as space storage – until merely sooner than frost arrives.
Space Storage for Butternut and Winter Squash
Not like summer time season squash, it’s best to depart winter squash on the vine to mature as long as bodily attainable. There, they proceed to ripen and develop deeper, sweeter styles. Furthermore, the longer they’re left on the vine, the additional laborious and storage-ready the rind turns into – which considerably will improve shelf life! As quickly as picked, their storage life countdown begins, so leaving them on the vine prolongs the time you should use them.
So, even when all indicators say our butternut squash are ready to reap, we’ll usually depart them on the vine until merely sooner than frost (or until we now need to in another case clear the vegetation) primarily “storing” them throughout the space. That always supplies us an extra month or two of basic storage life!
Simple strategies to Harvest Winter Squash and Pumpkins
That’s the easy half. If you’ve determined they’re ready for harvest, merely decrease winter squash stems off the vine. The stems are in all probability pretty laborious by now, so that you simply’ll need a nice sturdy, sharp pair of pruning shears. Try and depart the stem as long as attainable, taking care to not break it off all through transport or storage each. Moreover be careful to not decrease the vine itself, notably in case you’re not ready to remove the rest of the plant merely however.
Preserve finding out to be taught what’s subsequent: learn to wash, remedy, and retailer winter squash.
What happens if I harvest butternut or winter squash too early?
Did you unintentionally select your winter squash too early? Or possibly you wanted to because of frost or completely different circumstances? Don’t fret, it happens to the most effective of us! The good news is, near-mature winter squash (along with butternut) will proceed to ripen off the vine after harvesting. Very inexperienced youthful fruit obtained’t be worth retaining nonetheless.
If you happen to should harvest butternut early, proceed with curing beneath ripe fruit as outlined beneath. The flavour may certainly not attain the pretty comparable depth and sweetness as a vine-ripened squash, nonetheless they should nonetheless be worthy of a meal!
Are you able to allow butternut squash on the vine too prolonged?
Unlikely! The one risk or draw again of leaving butternut or completely different winter squash on the vine too prolonged is that in the event that they end up getting frost hurt or heavy water hurt, so merely management your local weather forecast.
Typically, if there is a heavy rain (or, in case you instantly overwater) mature butternut squash left on the vine may minimize up. The tender pores and pores and skin of youthful fruit can flex and stretch with moisture fluctuations, nonetheless the laborious pores and pores and skin of mature squash is inclined to splitting beneath pressure. Reduce up squash continues to be utterly edible though! Plus the minimize up will usually scab over and heal if it isn’t too deep.
In another case , the longer you probably can wait to pick winter squash, the upper! As we’ve already explored, the fruit will solely develop to be increasingly more ripe, sweet, and storage-ready the additional time they’re left on the vine.
Must I wash butternut or winter squash after harvest?
After harvest, it’s best to utterly wash butternut and winter squash to take away any mud, particles, micro organism, and mildew sooner than storage, since leaving grime behind can encourage sooner deterioration.
To wash winter squash, you probably can protect it as main or elaborate as you prefer to. A few of us merely rinse them properly with water, whereas others use mild soapy water and a towel or sponge. To kill micro organism and fungal spores, some gardeners spray or quickly soak their harvested pumpkins and butternut in a dilute bleach decision (2 Tbsp of bleach per gallon of water, 30 to 60 seconds is lots) after which rinse after. It would not matter what method you utilize, make certain to utterly dry the squash after!
Oil buffing is one different elective step to forestall mould growth and premature spoilage. After washing and drying winter squash, use an earlier clear towel or paper towel to make use of a small amount of olive oil or vegetable oil in all places within the squash pores and pores and skin. Proceed to buff and rub away the excess oil, leaving solely a thin coat of oil on the squash. It must be shiny nonetheless probably not really feel greasy to the contact after.
Curing Butternut and Winter Squash After Harvest
Why remedy winter squash?
Curing is an important step after harvesting butternut squash, pumpkins, and one other sorts of winter squash (nonetheless not all). The curing course of helps to extra harden the pores and pores and skin, ripen immature fruit, and even heal minor wounds. Curing will improve the shelf life and storage potential of butternut and winter squash – usually extending it by quite a few months.
Even larger, curing winter squash improves the flavour and sweetness! Comparatively than consuming them correct after harvest, many winter squash varieties type best after a pair months in storage. For instance, the flesh of butternut, winter sweet kabocha, and baking pumpkins all get sweeter with time.
What sort of winter squash should be cured?
Pumpkins, butternut, buttercup, hubbard, and most kabocha squash must be cured. Alternatively, acorn squash, delicata squash, spaghetti squash, and mini types of butternut or kabocha squash don’t revenue from curing. Moreover they’ve naturally shorter storage lives than individuals who need curing. Merely wash and retailer acorn squash, spaghetti squash, and delicata squash in a cool location immediately after harvest.
Simple strategies to remedy butternut and winter squash
Curing is the strategy of exposing winter squash to warmth temperatures and daylight for 7 to 14 days after harvest, sooner than transitioning them to a cooler closing storage location. Warmth humid air helps to harden the pores and pores and skin and focus sugars, making the squash further sweet.
You probably can remedy winter squash, pumpkins, or butternut indoors near a window in a warmth room, storage, or attic space, in a greenhouse, or simply by leaving the squash to sun-cure exterior throughout the yard after harvesting if the local weather permits.
The proper curing circumstances for butternut and completely different winter squash is 75 to 85 ranges, with air humidity ranges spherical 80% if attainable. We regularly remedy any beneath ripe butternut for the entire 14 days. As quickly as they’re accomplished curing, switch the squash to a cool darkish location for future storage.
Storing Winter Squash, Butternut, and Pumpkins Prolonged Time interval
The place to retailer winter squash?
It’s best to retailer cured butternut and pumpkins in a cool, darkish, well-ventilated house, resembling a basement, root cellar, or storage. A cool pantry, spare closet, or shed may match too. The proper storage temperature for winter squash is spherical 50 to 60 ranges Fahrenheit, with about 60 % humidity. A location with fairly common temperatures is best, since temperature fluctuations can encourage rot. It’s moreover best to retailer winter squash away from apples, pears, or completely different ripening fruit.
Simple strategies to retailer butternut and winter squash
Retailer butternut and winter squash unfold out in a single layer with room for air circulation spherical each fruit. Don’t pile them up on excessive of one another. This way, they obtained’t bruise or puncture one another with their stems. It moreover makes it easy to routinely study the fruit. Stay away from storing winter squash immediately on a cold concrete floor – lay down cardboard first. Cardboard can also be helpful to line wire cupboards or crates that can dent or bruise the pores and pores and skin.
Sorting and Inspection
After harvest, it’s a superb suggestion to look at and sort your butternuts and winter squash by fruit prime quality and hurt.
Blemish-free “Grade-A” squash will preserve up the longest in storage, and because of this truth could possibly be saved behind your cupboard space and used last. “Grade-B” squash with nicks, cuts or bruises will rot sooner, in order that they must be monitored further rigorously and consumed sooner.
Routinely confirm your winter squash storage every week or two, ideally turning over or rotating the fruit on occasion. Preserve a be careful for wrinkly or softening squash which have for use or composted. A neglected moldy squash can merely unfold to neighboring squash too!
Which winter squash retailers the longest?
Butternut squash, along with select long-storing specialty pumpkins and kabocha varieties (e.g. winter sweet), have the longest storage potential – lasting as a lot as 6 months or longer if harvested, washed, cured, and saved accurately. Delicata, spaghetti, and most acorn squash usually have a shorter shelf life, and must be consumed inside 2 to 3 months after harvest.
Often speaking, larger winter squash varieties final extra in storage than smaller types of squash. Even among the many many comparable sort of winter squash, choice can have an effect on storage potential. As an illustration, ‘Butterscotch’ and mini ‘Butterbaby’ butternuts are anticipated to last spherical 3 months in storage. Alternatively, ‘Autumn Frost’ or fundamental ‘Waltham’ butternuts are recognized to have exceptionally prolonged storage potential – as a lot as 6 months or longer. Storage circumstances will even have an effect on shelf life.
Recipes: Strategies to Put collectively and Use Winter Squash
Now it’s time for the most effective half: consuming your winter squash!
Winter squash are most regularly roasted or utilized in baking, resembling pumpkin sweet bread or butternut squash pie. Positive, you be taught that correct – butternut squash pie! Comparable in texture and style, many winter squashes will be utilized interchangeably with pumpkin in recipes – notably butternut, kabocha, and hubbard varieties.
The most suitable choice to roast winter squash is to cut it in half (from stem to bottom), scoop out the middle and seeds, and roast the halves total. You probably can roast them face-up with a sprinkle of seasonings, oil, or butter throughout the gap cavity, or roast them flesh-side down. I moreover want to fastidiously peel and decrease butternut into bite-size cubes or “french fries”, toss them in olive oil and seasonings, and bake them like potatoes.
We moreover like to make use of butternut squash in soup, like this creamy roasted butternut squash soup with sage and apple, or add cubed chunks to our favorite kale lentil soup recipe. We moreover make a killer vegan roasted sugar pie pumpkin 3-bean chili (and often substitute butternut in that recipe too). Or, attempt our seasoned rice stuffed acorn squash recipe!
Delicata squash has exceptionally skinny, edible pores and pores and skin, so peeling isn’t compulsory. This makes it notably customary for quick and easy preparation, and even used on salads. As quickly as cooked, spaghetti squash flesh pulls apart into prolonged “noodles” – a gratifying one for adults and kids alike!
Last nonetheless not least, don’t neglect the winter squash seeds are edible too! Uncover methods to make the most of crunchy, delicious and nutritious soaked and roasted pumpkin seeds proper right here.
Simple strategies to Shield Butternut, Pumpkin, and Winter Squash
Among the many best strategies to guard winter squash is to roast, puree after which freeze it – along with freezing butternut squash puree, pumpkin puree, or completely different squash. Then use your property made squash puree in any recipe that requires canned pumpkin, along with in baking, soups, stew and further! Uncover methods to make and freeze pumpkin puree proper right here.
Winter squash and pumpkin can also be decrease into cubes and frozen in freezer baggage, or pressure canned. We moreover shield our winter squash by making soup or chili with it (recipes above) and freezing the soup in sturdy, reusable BPA-free quart freezer containers for easy future meals!
And that concludes proper now’s lesson.
I hope this data taught you each factor it’s best to know to effectively harvest, remedy and retailer winter squash of your particular person! Please be joyful to ask any questions throughout the suggestions beneath. If you found this knowledge to be useful, please unfold the squash love by pinning or sharing this publish. We considerably acknowledge you tuning in proper now.
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