Butternut Squash harvest question

[Mackay]

after 3 largely unsuccessul attempts on getting a harvest of butternut in past years I'm so close this year. The first two years got froze out but I only had a couple on the vine. Last year I had only one rather large squash that was still bright green when the first frost came.

This year I may have about 15 or so. I started them early inside and that made the difference... but perhaps still not early enough. We are expecting our first freeze tonight so I guess I have to harvest them. Ive tried sprinklers on them in past years but it didnt work well. Seems these plants are just too sensitive to chill.

They are not orange yet and I can still indent the shell with my fingernail, but they are getting close to being hard shelled. Here are my questions...

can butternut be eaten when still green? Im sure they are edible but will they taste worth a hoot?

and will these ripen off the vine?

 

[Ridgerunner]

At least you are close. How long and how cold is this cold snap? Could you cover the area with sheets to maybe get them through a mild frost and buy some more time? I got sheets pretty cheap at a thrift shop. That would take a lot of sheets but Ive done that with tomatoes before. Get them through that first light frost and buy a couple of weeks for the green ones to ripen.

I dont know how much they will actually ripen after you pick them. By ripen, Im talking about developing better flavor, not curing them for storage. I think were on the same page but just want to make sure. They are edible, I just would not expect them to be at the peak of perfection.

They will not store worth a darn. Theyll shrivel up and turn soft pretty soon. Depends on how close they are as to whether you can even cure them. Hard as youve worked on them Id at least try cooking one and see if its worth it.

15 is a lot. You can freeze winter squash but youre not supposed to can it. Hope you enjoy the taste.

 

[catjac1975]

If it is not going to get too cold cover them with an old blanket If you think the squash could freeze bring them in and let them sit on the kitchen counter for a while, though, I think they are kind of like pumpkin where a bit of frost will harden them. They should get more ripe indoors if they are close. You can eat them already. they may not be as sweet as they could be.

 

[journey11]

They won't ripen off of the vine, but they may be ripe enough now to still be edible. They also won't store for long if they are underripe (a full ripe winter squash will store for a whole year.) You can can them (pressure can), but only as cubed chunks, not as puree. They also freeze very well, and you can freeze puree.

 

[Mackay]

Covering them is so difficult.. mostly due to the wind we frequently get. No guarantee that your cover will still be on in the morning. Don't know what Im going to do yet and the day is moving on. We had slight hail this afternoon. Definately getting cold. This cold weather they say may be with us for a few days... feeling like I want to give up on it cause each time I tried to fight back the weather in the fall the weather always won.

 

[digitS']

Wind!?? Wyoming!

I'll get Mackay's location figured out yet!! You know, there are 9 states larger than Wyoming. So, there! (Let's see if I get a rise . . .)

I could have read this thread sooner and learned it was kind of a "winter squash where maturity is a problem" kind of thread.

Delicata is a wonderful squash and the 1st time I grew it, I had lots that ripened nicely! Two seasons of failure later and I gave up on it for a long time. Trying again about 20 years ago resulted in yet another failure. Some squash just need a few more weeks of warm weather - they won't keep well even if they are kind of okay by that first frost!

Acorn will mature more quickly for you, Mackay. Buttercup always comes thru for me - That is Burgess Buttercup, not even some of those other, very similar Kabocha types.

"Early Butternut" will do fine in my garden - better than the Waltham variety. It is a nice big squash.

Steve