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Butternut squash - what to do with under ripe ones (etc)?
January Man
Posts: 212
in Fruit & veg
Hi again
Following on from my "Is this a butternut squash plant?!?" thread, I now have a couple of questions about my ACTUAL butternut squashes 
As I mentioned in the other thread, I am going away on Friday for a week and wondering whether I need to harvest these before I go.
Also, from what my very inexperienced eyes tell me, some of them are under ripe. If that is indeed the case, is there anything I can do to help mature them? Are they still edible when eaten under ripe?
Here are a few pics. The last one is of the ripest one we have and I think that looks good to go. The others are less ripe and also quite small (around fist sized).
Many thanks
Max
Last edited: 25 October 2016 22:28:19
0
Posts
I was just about to post a very similar question as I have one huge squash and several smaller, greener ones on my allotment. A neighbour said they should be OK until the frost sets in and I would like them to keep going as long as possible - as it is still mild, I have left them but give them plenty of water
This may be of some interest, especially the bit about picking and keeping for some time (in which they'll hopefully ripen?)
http://www.backyard-vegetable-gardening.com/harvesting-butternut-squash.html
The last ones look OK to harvest. Leave some stem on them and put them on a sunny windowsill for a week or two before storing in a cool dark place. Some of the smaller ones look as though they would do better left on the plant a bit longer. But have you any idea what the weather will be like? If there is a risk of hard frosts they won't make it outside. If the forecast is mild I'd leave them, you could wrap them in horticultural fleece. It is getting a bit late in the season. If you feel they are borderline then they may finish ripening on a sunny windowsill.
Did you see what Monty showed on GW the other week? Harvest squash with a piece of the main stem so that it forms a T rather than just the squash's individual stem - apparently that helps avoid the stem rotting and rot setting into the fruit.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Can't see much benefit in leaving the fruits longer since all the leaves have died, so no source of sugars to feed them. I think you might as well harvest them and put them somewhere warm to ripen (warmth being more important than sun). They'll certainly be edible, although I don't know how the taste compares to fully ripe ones. Under-ripe fruits won't keep as long so use them first.
They aren't as sweet and the texture is more dense.