Who grows winter squash?

[Hal]

I love acorn squash, grow them every year. We usually don't have too many, so not sure about storage time, we eat them pretty quickly.

I had a delicata squash from the store that I really liked a while back, and saved some seed. Grew it last year, and was very disappointed. That learned me not to save squash seed from storebought squash, the flavor was in the range of very bland to yuck. Might be something in my growing conditions but I'm going to try it with boughten (bought? boughted??) seed this year.

If you like delicata squash get some of the Candystick Dessert Delicata from Adaptive Seeds. They are worth seeking out for anyone wanting a good flavored delicata.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I thought I had a photo Hal but I can't find it. Right now I'm camera-deprived. I got the seeds from the Fur Trading Museum in Chadron Nebraska. The squash are anywhere from 10" to maybe 20" long and oval shaped, a lot like a rugby ball. They are a gold color with green ends and some have pretty big areas of green instead of gold. The correct spelling is Arikara, not Arikiri. That's what I get relying on memory.

You can find some photos online but that's not what mine looked like. The online photos I found don't show that green.

 

[thistlebloom]

Hal, what I remember about winter squash
was the huge orange fleshed monsters that dad grew in the garden. I don't know what kind they were exactly.
I just remember mom putting a piece the size of a Cadillac on my plate, (not eating what was on your plate was not negotiable). They may as well have asked me to cross the Kalihari without water.

Sooo, what are good temperatures to store squash in? I have a closet in the office that has some space, and I think it stays pretty cool in the winter, as the only heat that room gets is what drifts down the hall from the woodstove in the living room.
Do you have a recommendation for squash sissies?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thistle, are you talking about the blue hubbards? Sure sounds like it and they re pretty popular.

 

[NwMtGardener]

Shovel it full of raw sausage, bake for an hour, delicious and really simple prep! We store ours in a basket in the living room, they're store bought ones that are left, but they still look fine, I"m guessing they've been there 2 or 2.5 months. Its at our normal house temp, from 60 - 68 degrees. Acorn and delicata still in the basket, there was a butternut for a while...

 

[thistlebloom]

Thistle, are you talking about the blue hubbards? Sure sounds like it and they re pretty popular.

Could have been, Ridge. I honestly tried not to pay them any attention knowing that we were going to eventually see it up close on our plates soon enough.

 

[baymule]

Ya'll are making me hungry. I don't have the room to grow winter squash. I like butternut and acorn. If I had the room, I'd probably get derailed and grow all sorts of stuff.

 

[Smart Red]

The only predictable winter squash I grow is acorn squash. It is just the size for one or two meals per squash with no leftovers. It is true that the soil plays a big factor in squash taste. My first attempt produced acorn squash that were so sweet nothing was added. This place produces great acorns, but their taste needs a bit of honey or brown sugar for sweetening. I'd love to find a way to grow those sweet squash of old.

I am finding that when I do grow a veggie that is not already in my repertoire, I tend to not use it after harvesting. My parents considered a vegetable with dinner to be canned beans, peas, or corn with a sweet potato at Thanksgiving. And tomatoes! Mom and Dad worked summers at Libby's canning company. Dad brought home truckloads of sweet corn and Mom bought bushels of tomatoes. That I have added so many other vegetables to my diet is surely a good thing.

I found that after growing kale, I didn't do anything with it. Same with turnips, ground cherries, and a few others. Different squashes have been much the same. What I need is an invite to a meal where a new veggie is grown so I can taste it and get a recipe or two that I know work for me. And, of course, the DH has to agree a dish is a keeper.

 

[NwMtGardener]

I agree Smart Red, i did not like kale when I bought some locally at the farmer's market, even in various preparations I was not a fan. So I've never grown it. When I had tomatillos, I couldn't figure out what to do with them...I had never really eaten one before I planted it, that was silly! I actually have considered growing them again to see if I could come up with a good green enchilada sauce recipe with them though.

 

[journey11]

Waltham Butternut have been very dependable for me and usually result in a bumper crop of squash. They are excellent keepers. I've had them last just over a year, kept in a dark corner of my very dry, 65-70 degree basement. They will get a little stringy in the middle after a year, but are still usable. We love them in a bisque served with crusty bread and they also make nice pies. DD adopted a little one when she was 2 and I drew a face on it and she named it "Baby Squash" and carried it around everywhere. Even poked it with a fork a couple of times and it still lasted forever. Baby Squash finally met his end when she dropped him down the stairs and he cracked.

I was really surprised how easy the Jumbo Pink Banana squash were to grow and that they were even ready a bit on the early side of things. A 30-lb. squash doesn't intimidate me. I roasted the whole thing, used some of it for the sweetest, most delicious pumpkin pie I ever had, and froze the rest in quart size freezer bags. Squash freezes really well and if you get all the air out, it won't get freezer burn.

I also grew Buttercups one year, but didn't come out as productive with them, but the 3 I got were very tasty. They did not keep nearly as long as the Walthams for me, but I think maybe that a late case of powdery mildew put a stop to them a little sooner than they would have been ready.

N.E. Sugar Pie pumpkins, I got a couple off of them and they went bad in storage before I used them. That was the same year as the Buttercups, so again, maybe the mildew did them.

I am going to try again with Galeux D' Eysines. I had a total crop failure with them. They seemed very susceptible to disease and I'll be sure to give them more attention next time. Such a neat looking squash and they are supposed to be very sweet too.