Happy October! Time for Squash . . .

[digitS']

. . . there's some sort of game they play like tennis . . . neeever mind !

i think there's quite a bit more to it than this but, unless you are squash challenged, you may need look no further: How to Harvest and Cure Squash

I am encouraged that they say the Buttercup only keep "up to 4 months" since that is about all I can get out of those that are the most mature . . . and have been in my garage for about a week. I really do think that Butternut has a longer storage life than Buttercup but I had never really thought about it. DW & I prefer the BC to the BN for holiday pies, however, I should take the storage life into account. It was a Butternut that lasted until spring one year.

Realize that the last sentence on "mongrel" squash is only partly true -- 1 variety from each species can be grown together and it is unlikely that they will cross.

Steve

 

[Greenthumb18]

Thanks for posting this Steve!

Was it me or did September really flew by. Now that its October, its a great reminder how to care for all the pumpkins and winter squash, now that its the season for them. I still have pumpkins hanging off a tree, still green though.


Happy October Everyone!

 

[baymule]

I wish I had room for vining squash and melons. I have even studied covetusly the neighbor's large front yard......... I love butternut and acorn squash. Will horses eat the vines? We have 16 acres a few miles out and I could scatter some seeds. It has been in forest and we had 10 acres cut, it is still a mess. But there are a couple of good charcoal covered burn sites, if the horses wouldn't munch on the vines. Anybody know?

 

[lesa]

Time to harvest my butternut. I grew them in their own garden area. Once they got going, there was no room for me in there! So, I really have no idea how many are lurking... I read in mother earth news, that they should cure for a week in 70-80 degree area, before cold storage. If I have a ton, I guess I will have to spread them all over the house! You never know what you will find in my house, during canning and harvest season! I don't know if horses would eat your squash/vines. I can tell you that when mine spread into the chicken yard- they did not bother them.

 

[journey11]

Horses won't eat the vines, but they do LOVE pumpkins.

I usually grow Waltham Butternut squash. They keep a whole year in my basement (about 65 degrees.) They'll get a little spongy/stringy toward the end, but they're still edible and won't be a problem pureed in soup anyway. (Don't forget you can eat the seeds too...yum!!)

 

[lesa]

Journey, I have tried to roast pumpkin seeds and was less than impressed. What do you do with the squash seeds? Do you have a secret recipe?

 

[Mackay]

Ive been picking my acorns over the past week. They have turned dark green on the vine but have white or yellow patches where they sit on the soil. Will these go away or should I turn them towards the sun before picking?

Id be more worried about the horses stepping on the squash than eating them.

 

[digitS']

I don't know what to recommend, Mackay.

I suppose that decay may start 1st on that yellow belly but it probably isn't anything you really need to be concerned about trying to "fix."

That would be my guess.

Steve

 

[journey11]

Lesa, I don't do anything fancy to mine. I just wash them well and remove the stringy stuff. Spread them out on a cookie sheet, put a couple pats of butter on them, lightly salt them and roast slowly at 300 degrees, stirring occasionally. I don't like them too dry and hard. They will start popping around in the oven when the are ready.

I've seen fancier recipes for them though. I think Wifezilla had posted one...a long time ago.

 

[jhook1997]

I wish I had room for vining squash and melons. I have even studied covetusly the neighbor's large front yard......... I love butternut and acorn squash. Will horses eat the vines? We have 16 acres a few miles out and I could scatter some seeds. It has been in forest and we had 10 acres cut, it is still a mess. But there are a couple of good charcoal covered burn sites, if the horses wouldn't munch on the vines. Anybody know?

I have plenty of room for vining squash and melons....just grow them upward!