Squash newbies, this one’s for you! Follow these tried-and true guidelines to learn how you can harvest, cure, or store squash.
The following excerpt comes from The Resilient Planter Carol Deppe. The web version has been adapted.
Featured Image Credit: Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Harvesting Squash
When we harvest, we don’t want to break the fruit off at the stem, because if we do, the moist, juicy stem scar is vulnerable to mold and storage life drops. Instead, we Cut or break the stem between the fruit & vine, so there’s a small stub on the fruit. Most must be cut. The easiest way is to use garden shears.
The majority of people will say to cut the stems so that each fruit has a 1-to-2-inch piece. I first cut the stems about 5 inches, and then trim them down to a final length of 1 or 2 inches once the fruits are dried out indoors. If the stem is less than 3 to 5 in., I cut each side.
You should avoid handling squashes by their stems. They will fall off. There are some varieties that have strong attachments, allowing them to be handled by the stems. Sometimes, the stems of some fruits are broken in the field. Start with those.
Curing Squash
Many books and articles on squash use the term an outdoor curing period. For example, after describing cutting the squash and leaving stem stubs, the Johnny’s Selected Seeds catalog says: “Cure in the field to dry and toughen skins by exposing fruits to sun for 5–7 days or so, covering in the evening if frost is likely.
An indoor method of curing is to expose squash to 80°F–90°F (27°C–32°C) with ventilation for 3–5 days.” The “covering in the evening” assumes that you have cut the squash and consolidated them in a spot at the edge of the field (ready for loading into a cart or truck).
Curing: It’s All In The Environment
What people actually do with respect to curing, though, has more to do with their region and the year’s particular weather. In coastal Oregon, during squash harvesting season, the weather is usually rainy. When a frost is imminent, I will harvest the squash and remove it safely from the field.
I don’t have any workable way of covering the amount of squash we harvest. I also don’t have any place that has temperatures of 80°F–90°F for indoor curing, either. My home is usually 60°F–68°F that time of year. Both squash and people are affected by this. Squash is brought to the house and eaten with the family.
Curing Periods
The squash must cure, or after-ripen, for a certain period of time after harvest. The curing temperature and conditions will be the same as for the rest of your storage.
In other words, my idea of “curing” just amounts to not eating the fruit until it has been stored a certain amount of time.
Handling Harvested Squash
I handle my squash . I don’t drop them or toss a single one. I don’t ever drop or throw them. You can find out more about this by clicking here. them. I place big, heavy squash such as ‘Sweet Meat’ in a monolayer in the cart or truck, and I use old towels or sheets or rags between them to help cushion them for the ride home.
I harvest the smaller squash such as the delicatas and ‘Sunshines’ into stacking crates, stacking them up and filling the crates. It doesn’t seem to hurt most small squashes to be in a crate buried under a foot of other small squash. I place squash in the crate so the cut stems or any pointy ends don’t jab into anybody.
Squash Storage
Many people suggest that you wash the squash in water containing bleach. I don’t do that. All of us come back from the fields dirty. My house’s dirty. What’s a little dirt among friends? When I return home with my squashes, I make sure to share them.
What to do with Squash?
A variety of squashes in many colors and shapes can enhance any room, table or bookshelf. Two walls in a backroom lined with heavy-duty shelves can be used to store some of the larger squash.
There are also other large squash lining up along the wall and on the floor to fill the empty corners and doorstops.
Squash, Squash, Everywhere!
Any area against the wall where you don’t actually walk should be lined with big squash along the floor. If you place tarps out of the way in the corners, you can create foot-high piles.
With this attitude, it’s pretty easy to store a ton or two of squash indoors without much difficulty, even without the shelves. I placed each large squash in a way that the spot on the field it was previously seated is now exposed to air. The wall of squash is formed by stacking crates with smaller squashes.
Turning Squash
After the squash has been in the house for three to five day, I turn the big squash to allow the first part to dry. I trim the stems using sheers. They should be 1 to 2 inches long. I also rearrange the small squashes in their crates, and stir the piles of delicates on the tarps.
Storage Temperatures
Ideal temperature for storing squash beyond the initial curing stage is supposedly 50°F–55°F with a relative humidity of 50–70 percent. My household conditions of 60°F–68°F and 40–70 percent are supposedly not ideal, but they’re close enough. They may even be ideal. My squash store as long as or longer than anyone else’s. My methods seem to be popular with the squash.
Eat Squash
The best squash flavor doesn’t develop until the squash has been fully cured or stored the right amount of time before being eaten. Generally, C. Pepo After harvest, the varieties must be stored in my home for at least two weeks before they reach their prime. The majority of varieties are prime after two weeks in my house. C. maxima At least one month is required for the varieties. ‘Sweet Meat’ is best with at least two months.
The squash can be eaten earlier, but they aren’t as sweet as they could be, and don’t have as much flavor or as much complexity to the flavor, or as much aroma. C. moschata varieties are said to need two weeks to cure, but I haven’t checked that out personally.
Squash Flavor Profiles & Curing Time
Temperature is clearly a factor in the curing process. My elderly mother lived in the upstairs of the house. I kept it warmer so that the squash could cure and be ready to eat quicker. It took the pepos only about a week, and the ‘Sweet Meats’ just a month.
It is usually a cure for a squash that tastes starchy rather than sweet. It was likely eaten too early. When a squash isn’t starchy but has thinner flesh, less flavor, or less sweetness than expected, it is generally because it was picked immature or was poorly grown.
Recommended Reading
Cream of Butternut Squash Soup
Harvesting and Storing the Cucumber: Capturing The Crunch