Waltham Butternut Squash

I have 4 hills of this, first time I grew it. They spread like mad and have many fruits. How do you tell when they are "done". Many still have green streaks - but some are a very pale tea with cream color. I sliced one the other day and fried it, dipped in egg and crumbs and it was delicious!

se-eds, butternut squash is used mostly as a winter squash. It should stay on the vine until mature, shell should be hard to dent with your thumbnail. I usually pick mine just before the last frost or when the vines die back.

I leave mine on the vines until there is no hope of them maturning further. We have a short season so they just barely have time to mature anyhow. Typically in the fall we will have some frost and then 2 or 3 weeks with mid 30's nights and 50-65 in the daytime, so I cover the plants with old blankets and wait until the killing frost is predicted, then pick them for storage. Our weather is usually dry during this time and I do not water them which tells the plant to ripen them, not grow anymore. They will keep all winter if they are dry and cool, not bruised and still have that little stem on them.

Thanks folks, for your help. I'll let them be. Some are getting big!

A-a-a-h-h-h, Walthan squash. One of our favorites. Can't grow them anymore tho because squash beetles kill every cucurbite we try to grow anymore.

Things are still hot and humid here in Pa. I never realized the plants would get soooo long. One has six nice big squash on it. Hope we do not get so much rain from Trop.Storm Gaston that they rot.

se_eds~
How are they holding up after all the rain? It's interesting that they tasted good immature, as I have picked some of my winter squash immature, and its tastes sweet, (my son said they tasted like peaches!) Please, give us an update on your butternut...

editd 4 spelin'

This message was edited Sep 13, 2004 6:19 PM

The combination of rain and a few hungry squash bugs made the vines go limp. I picked them all. Most are "done". The ones I sliced are very good. The young and little ones we will eat in a few days, the others are hard and I hope they will keep. The butternut squash has a sweeter sort of fruity flavor compared with the long neck winter squash. I'm glad I tried them.

If you bake them and they aren't sweet enough you can try this. Slice off the skin, cut the squash into one inch cubes, cook them in a steamer basket or bake them, mash them like potatoes, add butter and brown sugar to taste, and maybe a bit of nutmeg. Yummy, and you can salvage the crop even if they aren't quite ripe enoungh. I've heard that putting each squash up on a tin can with both ends cut out will keep them from rotting if the ground is too wet, but I'm not sure that information included tropical storms.

MaryE - your recipe sounds delish! Just like mashed sweet potatoes. We eat them dipped and fried, baked, stuffed with sausag/rice mixture - all of which are good. Personally I like them steamed with salt pepper and butter. I don't think many people realize that members of the winter squash/pumpkin family have vitatmins that help protect your throat and help to prevent chest colds. I know the pioneers sliced them and strung them on thread to dry for hearty winter squash soups, but I didn't try that. They provide much needed "yellow" vegetables for winter.