I don't have the space to grow winter squash, but there's a great veggie stand nearby that sells butternut, spaghetti, acorn, and other squashes.
Most of them are 3/$1.00...REALLY cheap... and I LOVE squash, but I am not sure how long they would last.
I am FINALLY supposed to get my freezer this week & can freeze some, but as far as storing them in my cellar, is there any special requirements, like keeping a fan on down there, or can I just put them on a shelf with space in between?
And I don't think the acorn last as long, right? And what about pumpkins?
Butternuts and delicatas store really well. Just lay them ON newspaper wrapped in newspaper, so if one joins the choir invisible, it doesn't spray the other gourds in your stash. Acorn, shucks, beats me, but pumpkins and all other squash store best when you wipe them off with bleach solution (10%) to kill the rots on their skins. Other than that, I think they need to be kept cool (~55*F?) and moist-ish (just higher humidity) air as compared to the normal dryness of forced-hot-air-heated houses.
Ambitious gardener, gamer and target shooter, formerly known as needmorespace.
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Posts: 274 | Location: Upstate NY Zone 5 border with 4 | Registered: March 25, 2006
All of the winter squash have rinds that if properly cured will protect the meat inside for a very long time. Wiping them off with a 10 percent bleach solution may be of some help, particulary if the rinds were not properly cured. Storage in a cool, dry environment however is essential. Acorn sqaush is not a winter squash variety and its rind won't protect the meat any better than any other summer squash rind will protect that.
The sign of a good gardener is not a green thumb, it is brown knees.
Posts: 2912 | Location: Central Michigan along the Lakeshore | Registered: August 28, 2004
