harvesting winter squashes (acorn and butternut)???

Hi all
this is my first yr growing winter vining squashes...as you may recall i posted about how to get them to attach to trellis. well no problem..they are growing away..amazing!! I am stoked

Now I dont know when to pick..one acorn was getting too giagantic ( been in ground since mid april) and i thought if i dont pull it i would have no other production. It is light green..w/ dark spots.like the color of a watermelon....was i supposed to wait til it got dark green..like acorn squashes are in the market? I was worried it was going to get too big...losing tenderness and flavor? I may have pulled it too soon..huh....You can see stripes.....but i am thinking maybe it turns darker later? Can someone help? Should I let it sit for a while on counter or is it too late?

How about butternut..got 1 and it is perfect size, but it is really lite green...and i know it is supposed to be yellow / orange..does it turn color in fall...end of summer? there are no other fruits..just the one...again, 1 big one....and thats it..., strnge..concerned others wont grow, anyway, dont want to blow it on that one too

Please Help ...thanks

If you wish to use them as winter squash, you need to let them mature on the vine. That means full size and a hard rind. Acorns come in many colors, but the dark green ones need to turn dark green and be hard enough to resist a fingernail. They will be fine if you leave them till the vines die, but if you are hungry, just let them get thier full growth. Same for butternuts. Some people use both acorns and butternuts as summer squash, if which case you would pick them when they are young and tender.

If you want them as winter squash, leave them either until the vines die back or until the rind is too hard to puncture with a finger nail.

when my plants begin to die back I cut the fruit off and let it sit if it is dry otherwise I take it into the gh to cure before storage I have heard it needs to cure for 10 days very warm and dry to help keep it from spoiling in storage must be some truth in it as I have squash in the fridge I cut last week from last falls crop. Ernie

Farmerdill got it right!
They're good sooner or later lol....

Butternut on tha vine

Acron still on tha vine

This was taken today.
I notice tha vines on the butternut were rooting jus like tomatoes vines do.

Other squash we're growing this year.

The heat here in E-Tx has been bad. No rain since forever.
I most likely have lost 35-40% of various plants.
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I do have a smile right now though. Jus got 1/2 inch.
Happy happy old man here.
There was only a 30% chance too. Haha for tha next few days this a lower chance, but heck, got rain at 30 and usually it takes 75 80 or more.

Gosh! I've only gotten two little stinky zuccinis so far. The yellow crookneck isn't ready to be picked and the acorn squash is only about the size of my pinky nail. The white patty pan I just threw out there last weekend and it was some old leftover seed and may not even germinate. I am totally jealous.
-Juli

Hey Juli;
Thing about squash, once it starts it'll keep ya busy!
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Zuccinis can drive ya crazy.

If you only plant for what you eat and store ya jus gotta love squash because it keeps coming.
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Acorn is slower as is butternut than tha rest.
We stuff patty pan similar to how we do Zuccinis.
______________

I don't grow as many types as Ernie.
Our weather here is, lol Texas but I like that stuff........

Whoa Charlie! I picked my zuccini about half that size because I think they get too seedy. Do you stuff yours? My sister used to grow big ones like that and then stuff them with a real thick meaty spaghetti sauce.
-Juli

We call those bazookas and let them get bigger then grate and make bread with them. It will freeze for bread making to even though it will water up a bit. For steaming and stir frying we like them four to six inches for battering we like them eight to ten inches. We dont stuff them so dont have a clue how big you do that with. Ernie

Haha
Hey Juli, this one jus got missed lol.
Don't usually let them get this big till tha end of tha season.

We stuff a lot of squash including the larger patty pan. There seeds are almost always large.
Those we cut tha cap off, remove seeds and stuff. Put tha cap back on or not as you bake or microwave.
Hint;
On the large zuks, once seeds are removed & cut in half, long ways we place on a container face down with a little water & precook. Up to you how long!
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Its then we scrap out some goodies and mix with whatever. Spaghetti sauce is good.
Actually, we may use most anything to stuff with. Fennel flavored sausage to a hot gumbo mixture. (cheese on top of course)
Always; some sort of tomato, onion, garlic is a must lol !
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Must not forget mexican mixtures, lol again, after all this is texican land.
The Mexicans use squash a lot. Many of their recipies call for [calabasa] not sure of that spelling. [edit: A little Cumin adds Mexican flavor, taste]
If ya ever grow that one, make sure ya have lots & lots of room or something strong to grow on. It don't know when ta quit. Worse than an indeterminant cherry tomato.

We also batter and deep fry, cut cross ways and in sticks as well.
Sometimes cut up and cooked down in a skillet, only use butter salt and pepper to season.
Also;
Young okra, onion and squash with nothing but bacon grease cooked down to where ever you like it. Both wife and mesef are scratch cooks! Yep, I know, how much of this and how much of that do ya use, haha I don't know......... Sho like squash though!

Pic was taken one morning couple or three weeks ago.
Lot of the yellow is dying or has died since.

[edit:] We dont stuff them so dont have a clue how big you do that with. Ernie
Hey Ernie;
About half tha size in that pic or less to start.
Can be much bigger also if ya pre cook as mentioned above.
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We always add what is scraped out back to whatever mixture.
If you don't take some out ya don't have enough room for a good stuffing.

In a given mixture you could use bread crumbs, rice, stovetop stuffing and on and on.
Your own blend of tomato sauce mixed with what ya scraped out.
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I like to brown mine in tha oven. Jus before its ready I add tha cheese of my choice. What ever it might be that day







This message was edited Jun 26, 2005 1:29 PM

nice pic you are gonna get more than you can eat lol last year I took about two layers deep in a ranger pick up to work to give away Two days later Linda took my truck to work with a single layer this year I cut back to about 16 plants.

A guy told me a recipe for stuffing buttercup types cut off the top scoop out and bake about a half hour before it is done fill with pre cooked sausage meat balls and grated cheese I never did it but a woman at work did and said it was good. Ernie

I cured mine last year as Ernie instructed. And just Sunday cut one open that was picked last JULY!!! The seeds were nice and dry, and so I toasted them! It was a twelve pound Sweet Keeper, so we will be eating on it for a while LOL

Good squash is GOOD, any way you prepare it :-)

I was looking at all the responses from this ol post of mine.....didnt know they kept coming. Thanks all for the great pics...my lord..what do you do with all those swuashes charlie..uhyyyyy!!!!

my butternuts did good..got about 5 from one plant..and still counting...but acorn...only got 2..., oh well..and they dont climb ..i learned that!! koodos to the master that gets em to climb..cuz i sure couldnt

tanks again all

sushi--------

Haha;
Hey sushiqueen way out west!
Tha short answer is here:
http://ivella.com/produce.html

Woefully out of date as am I.
seems like with all these irons in tha fire I could get something done lol...