Tag Archives: winter squash

Garden Advice

How Long Will My Squash Last?

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Winter squash and pumpkins are among the few foods you can harvest in July or August and eat in January. Before the advent of modern refrigeration, these squashes and pumpkins were an essential way that growers could put fresh, vitamin-rich food up for winter. Unlike most vegetables, which must be canned, dried, or frozen, properly storing winter squash and pumpkin is a fairly simple, low-effort process. Exactly how long they last depends on the variety and storage conditions you provide.

Squash Storage Period

While we love the flavor of all of the winter squash and pumpkin varieties that we offer, not all of them are equal in terms of their storage ability. 

Generally speaking, acorn squash and delicata can last up to 2 months, butternuts 2-to-3 months, hubbarbs 5 to 6 months, and some specialty cultivars 9 months to a year.

These numbers may vary widely, depending on the specific variety and proper curing and storage. Just look at these as general guidelines. I’ve had butternuts store for 6 months, but that doesn’t mean they always do.

Thankfully, for many squashes, storage actually improves their flavor. Typically, we advise people to get vegetables from the garden to their plate as quickly as possible for the best flavor. Tender vegetables like sweet corn, broccoli, and peas begin converting sugars to starches as soon as you harvest them. 

The opposite is true with squashes, particularly those used for longer storage like Hubbards. These storage squashes convert starches to sugars once harvested and have the best flavor when they’ve been allowed to cure and store for at least a couple of weeks. 

Our Favorite Squashes for Longterm Storage

If the squash you grew doesn’t keep as well as you had hoped, you may want to add an excellent keeper to the plot next year. 

  • Seminole Pumpkin – 1 year
  • Tahitian Melon Winter Squash – 9+ months
  • Tan Cheese Pumpkin – 1 year
  • South Anna Butternut Winter Squash – 6+ months

Garden Planning for Winter Squash and Pumpkin Storage

Unfortunately, many gardeners’ favorite varieties, like Winter Luxury Pumpkin or Candystick Dessert Delicata Winter Squash, don’t keep as well as those mentioned above.

If you’re a fan of winter squash, one of my favorite ways to plant squash is to pick two or three cultivars with short-, medium-, and long-term storage ability. Rather than growing a big patch of one, plant a few of each. This will give you plenty of squash for hearty stews, curries, and baked goods over a longer period.

Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin
Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin

My Squash Won’t Last Much Longer, What Do I Do?

If you have a lot of squash or pumpkin that you don’t think you can use up in time, I recommend freezing it. You can’t freeze squash raw; you need to cook it first.

My favorite method is to halve and bake winter squash and pumpkins, then scoop the soft, cooked flesh into freezer-proof containers, cool, and freeze. Alternatively, you can peel the squash or pumpkin and boil it until tender.

If you don’t have enough freezer space, pressure canning pumpkins and winter squash is another option. Keep in mind that you need a pressure canner; it’s a low-acid food that’s unsafe for water bath canning.

Drying winter squash and pumpkins also works, especially if you already own a dehydrator. Dried winter squash and pumpkins are wonderful for quick soups and camping trips.

There are plenty of great ways to use winter squash and pumpkins. Here are a few of my favorite recipes for using them up and preserving them:

Storage Quick Tips

Previously on the blog, we’ve covered exactly how to properly harvest, cure, and store winter squash and pumpkins. For this post, I’ll focus on a few key points:

  • If possible, allow winter squash and pumpkins to fully ripen on the vine before harvest (the stem should start developing wood-brown stripes near the fruit). This improves storage ability.
  • Harvest winter squash and pumpkins before your first frost.
  • Avoid storing squash near apples, pears, and tomatoes that put off ethylene (the ripening hormone).
  • Ideal storage conditions for winter squash and pumpkins are between 50 and 60°F, and humidity is 50 to 70%.

Winter squash and pumpkins are among the best storage crops. Choosing the right varieties and storing them properly can allow you to enjoy squash throughout the entire year! 

Garden Advice, Recipes

Pumpkin & Squash Recipes Perfect for Fall

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When you harvest your winter squash and pumpkins, sometimes the actual size of your harvest can come as a bit of shock. These prolific plants are excellent at hiding even more produce under their large leaves than you thought was possible. Thankfully, if you properly cure them, they’ll keep for months. Plus, there are so many fun ways to use them. Here are some of our favorite pumpkin and winter squash recipes perfect for this time of year. 

Dehydrated Pumpkin Pie Leather Roll-Ups

Ever wish you could take pumpkin pie on the go? These Pumpkin Pie Roll-Ups Colleen shared on her blog Grow Forage Cook Ferment are the perfect fall snack. They’re sweet even though they’re sugar-free. If you’ve got a dehydrator, give these a try.

Pumpkin Spice Waffles

Who doesn’t love a big stack of waffles on a cool, crisp morning? Adding a bit of your pumpkin or winter squash with this Pumpkin Spice Waffle recipe makes them extra special for fall.

Chocolate Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie Truffles

These Chocolate Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie Truffles from Kathie of Homespun Seasonal Living are a great treat, even if you’re not an experienced candy maker or baker. These truffles are decadent yet straightforward and perfect for fall get-togethers. 

Moroccan Cushaw Salad

Cushaws are popular southern winter squashes that were commonly grown by enslaved people in the late 18th century. One of our favorite culinary historians, Micheal Twitty, shared a great recipe for Moroccan Cushaw Salad on his blog, Afroculinaria. 

Pumpkin Butter

Pumpkin Butter is one of our favorite pumpkin recipes at Southern Exposure, and it’s surprisingly simple to make. While some people pressure can pumpkin butter, we use this easy recipe and store it in the refrigerator. 

Pumpkin Soup

Eva Kosmas Flores has tons of pumpkin and winter squash recipes that are as tasty as they are beautiful. If you’re looking for something to warm you up on a chilly fall day, we recommend her pumpkin soup recipe that she learned in Germany.

Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls

These pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls are a delicious treat that pair perfectly with your morning cup of coffee or tea. They also make excellent gifts. 

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Treats

Last but not least, you can’t forget your furry friend! This Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Treat recipe from Timber Creek Farm is perfect for including your pet in the fall festivities or gifting to a dog-loving friend. 

What’s your favorite pumpkin or winter squash recipe? Let us know if we missed any great ones on Facebook. 

Recipes

Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls

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Even though the temperature isn’t really saying “fall is here” in our area the garden certainly is. We’ve been harvesting pumpkins, winter squash, and popcorn and sowing fall successions of beets, lettuce, and cabbage. With this and my love of all things autumn in mind I decided it’s time to bring out the fall recipes.

These cinnamon buns are a delicious way to start enjoying the autumn harvest without breaking out the pumpkin pie. They’re delicious and fairly easy to make.

Ingredients

Dough

  • 2 1/2-3 C all purpose flour
  • 2 TBS sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 1/2 tsp yeast
  • 1/2 C water
  • 1/4 C milk
  • 3 TBS vegetable oil or butter
  • 1 TBS molasses
  • 1/4 C pumpkin puree

Filling

  • 3 TBS butter
  • 1 C pumpkin puree
  • 4-5 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 1/4-1/2 C brown sugar

Icing

  • 1 C powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2-3 TBS milk

Never made your own pumpkin puree? Check out this post.

Directions

Raised rolls ready for the oven.

Preparing the dough.

To begin combine the milk, oil or butter, molasses, puree into a microwaveable bowl or small saucepan. Heat these ingredients until they’re quite warm but not hot.

In a separate bowl combine the sugar, spices, salt, and yeast. Once the liquid ingredients are warm pour them into the bowl as well. Stir until well mixed and then begin adding the flour a little bit at a time. As the dough gets hard to mix you can turn it out onto a well floured surface and knead it with your hands.

You’ll know you’ve added enough flour when the dough forms a nice ball and is tacky but not sticky. Now allow the dough to rest for about 5 minutes.

Next roll the dough into a rectangle. I generally roll the dough between 1/4-1/2 inch thick though you can change this to suit your preference.

Dough with butter, pumpkin, puree, and spices. Still needs sugar.

Filling

Now you can spread the filling. First soften or melt the butter and mix it with the pumpkin puree and spread this in a thin layer on the dough. Then sprinkle the spices (alternatively you can use a pre-made pumpkin spice mix) evenly over the dough. Do the same with the brown sugar. I rarely measure the spices or sugar and just go by eye.

Roll the dough into a long tube and slice it into 8-12 pieces and place them into a greased, 9×13 inch baking pan. Place the pan somewhere warm and let them raise for 2-3 hours until they have doubled in size.

Bake at 350°F for about 25 minutes until they’re golden brown.

Icing

To make icing combine the powdered sugar and vanilla and stir in the milk a tablespoon at a time until it reaches your desired thickness. Icing should be added after the cinnamon rolls cool.