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| Among squash adapted to be grown in our climate are (L to R, top) 'Montana Jack' pumpkin, 'Hokkaido' winter squash, 'Buttercup (Burgess Strain) ' winter squash (L to R, bottom) 'Yugoslavian Finger Fruit' ornamental or summer squash, 'Lakota' winter squash, 'Fordhook Acorn' acorn squash |
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There are so many factors involved in the shelf-life of pumpkins and other winter squash that the simple question, "can I eat this pumpkin?" is difficult to answer.
Pumpkins that have been cured and stored properly, have no bruises or other damaged areas and have their handles intact should keep for 60 to 90 days. Storage temperatures should be between 50 and 60 degrees F, at a relative humidity of 60 percent. If you don't have a root cellar, you can use a thermometer to test if an unheated room, chilly closet or crawlspace is about right. For prolonged storage, the fruit are best placed on slotted shelves to provide for free air circulation and a minimum of contact between adjacent fruit.
Both pumpkins and squash are sensitive to chilling. If you didn't cure yours properly this year it's too late, but here's how to extend their shelf life next year.
Harvest the fruit after the rind has hardened but before a heavy frost. Fruit that feel heavy for their size are better than lightweights, which tend to be stringy. Store your best fruit between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit for one week after harvest, then drop to the 50 to 60 degree storage temperature. Warm post-harvest temperatures allow wounds to cork over and heal to prolong the storage life.
Halloween pumpkins left on the doorstep are usually frost damaged. They won't keep, and will probably have developed off-flavors by now. It would be best to discard them. Also, you can't cure and store summer squash such as zucchini, patty pan and crookneck as you do winter squash like butternut and buttercup--the summer squash will rot.
There are many winter squash to choose from. Other cultivars are readily available in seed catalogs, ready to plant, and in the grocery store, ready to eat. Among the winter squash adapted to be grown in our climate are 'Lakota, ' a decorative squash once prized by the Lakota Sioux for its sweet, deep orange flesh; 'Hokkaido, ' a preferred variety in Japan that has very dry, almost powdery flesh; and 'Buttercup,' arguably the best tasting winter squash -- sweet and rich.
Halloween pumpkins are typically "Jack'o'Lantern" types, with stringy, fairly tasteless flesh. For a pumpkin pie, select one of the small, sugary pumpkins such as 'Small Sugar.' They are high in sugar, stringless and have thick, sweet flesh.
You might also see some of the more decorative varieties. 'Yugoslavian Finger Fruit' was introduced as 'Pineapple' in 1885 in Massachusetts. If eaten, it's actually a summer squash, but it's a real conversation starter when placed on the table.
Explore free and low-cost gardening and landscaping resources at your county or reservation MSU Extension office, or click Yard and Garden at http://www.msuextension.org
A high-resolution photo of Cheryl Moore-Gough, a high-resolution color graphic and a black-and-white graphic of the garden tip art are available on the Web at: http://www.montana.edu/cpa/extension/gardening/graphics.html
Contact: Cheryl Moore-Gough, MSU Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, (406) 994-6523 hort@montana.edu
Hi-Resolution Image or PDF Available:
| [View or Download] | 1. | Among squash adapted to be grown in our climate are (L to R, top) 'Montana Jack' pumpkin, 'Hokkaido' winter squash, 'Buttercup (Burgess Strain) ' winter squash (L to R, bottom) 'Yugoslavian Finger Fruit' ornamental or summer squash, 'Lakota' winter squash, 'Fordhook Acorn' acorn squash |
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