4 types, when to harvest

9 years ago

Hi folks, I have always only had limited space and so only grew Delicata. I had read to wait for a frost before picking so they will gain some sweetness.

First off, If you pick Delicata off the vine and leave outside till the first good frost will this also sweeten them up some?

This year, with more space, I have Early Butternut, Acorn, and a Pie Pumpkin.

Will leaving these out until the first good squash improve their taste/sweeten them up some?

Thanks for any help, I am pretty new to this winter squash stuff and so could use some pointers. If it matter, I am in Washington State and on an Island, so maritime--thanks--Bob

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Comments (3)

Christian
9 years ago
I think the Acorn squash is good to eat as soon as its ripe (dark green skin, orange spot where it touches ground). It doesn't have to be cured, and doesn't get better with age, plus they don't keep as long.
The sugar pie pumpkins obviously keep a long time,and should be cured.
Don't know about the butternuts, but I think they also benefit from curing.
acorneti
9 years ago
I grew the hybrid Delicata JS this year and harvested since early August. In early September most of the fruits became dark green striped, and then foliage was finished. This is a biological program: only without all that leaf animals can see the fruit and take it away with the seed.
All varieties of Delicata get stripes, when seed becomes matured.
Best harvest Delicate early and lay it into the sun, because chlorophylle in the stripes wants to work now.
Seeds and flesh of Delicata mature best on the outdoor window sill, because UV-B rays are caught by the yellow or charteuse stripes between the darker ones, which needs normal light.
Then yellow becomes stronger then in shade and you have more very healthy xanthophylle against cancer...
I love the maturing of Delicata, and I stored them in an open harvest rack for three weeks now for afterripening with enough UV-B rays.
Juicy sweetness is not the thing for Delicata. I want to have starch in the flesh, because I only fill and bake them with beef in the hollowed seed cavity. DelicataÃÂ´s starch becomes most interesting, nutty and sweet when you eat it baked. This is far better then potato with beef.
Our fast food is: halve a Delicata, cave the halves and add frozen cevapcici. After 25 min. in the stovepipe turn the cevapcici 180ÃÂ° and bake it further 20 min.
Serve with BBQ-sauce.

This post was edited by acorneti on Wed, Sep 24, 14 at 17:30
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springtogarden
9 years ago
I read on the Veggie thread that the Butternuts are better after sitting for two months. Quoting from eliza_Z5 "Harvest when it's tan, cure in the sun for a couple weeks, and then wait at least two months with it stored at around 55 degrees before you eat it. Then it will be sweeeeet."
I am going to do this with mine.

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