Harvested the Butternut Squash...

[lesa]

We are scheduled for frost tonight, so I was out in the garden (at dawn) harvesting the butternuts. I ended up with 30 nice sized squash. That beats last year (I think it was 23). Not sure if they will keep as well this time. All the rain, left them laying in mud for too long. They have some scaring on the skin- looks like it will be a problem. Gave them a wipe with a mild bleach solution. I will keep an eye on them- and just start cooking and freezing if it looks like they are rotting...
I am planning on a garden clean-up tomorrow. I won't be surprised to find a few more tucked here and there- they really spread out and traveled this time!

 

[thistlebloom]

Wow Lesa, 30 squash! That's a terrific harvest.
Whats your favorite way to use them? Nobody around here is a big fan of squash, but I haven't served it for years, so I think I need to be more creative.

 

[lesa]

You know, I don't do anything fancy. I wrap a squash in aluminum foil and bake it, until it is squishy. Then I dig out the seeds (and save for the chickens) and put the squash in the food processor. I add butter, and a little brown sugar and maple syrup. It really is quite delicious... Also, a fan of the butternut squash soups. Nice for a cold day!

 

[GardenWeasel]

Nice Harvest, lesa. How many plants did you have? I got 7 from my 2 plants, squash bugs took them out early. I love squash soups. Epicurious has some awesome different recipes for squash.

 

[digitS']

I am a big fan of squash, Lesa. And, nothing fancy for me either - unless you call the pumpkin pie I've made since I was in elementary school "fancy" .

Mostly, they are just cut open and baked with butter and brown sugar - sometimes, in the microwave. Squash soup is good, too!

Have you tried the bleach on squash before? I know you said that you'd used it on the gourds. Is this the 10% bleach/90% water mix that is used by the restaurants to clean things?

Good For You, Lesa! Thirty butternut squash makes a BIG contribution to the winter larder.

Steve

 

[Southern Gardener]

I've never grown butternut squash, but it sounds delish! Is it as easy to grow as summer squash?

 

[wsmoak]

I've never grown butternut squash, but it sounds delish! Is it as easy to grow as summer squash?

Considering I lost all the summer squash to those horrible vine borers, yes, butternut squash are easier! (They have a solid stem rather than hollow, so the borers don't bother them quite so much.)

I put two hills in a 4x8 bed and got six squash, about one per vine. Other than trying to keep them watered during our hot dry summer, and repeatedly tossing the vines back into their assigned area when they wanted to take over the garden, they were very easy.

-Wendy

 

[lesa]

They really couldn't be easier to grow. I plant them (started from seeds) and basically forget about them, until about now! As expected, when cleaning up the garden today, I found four more! I think I had about 7 hills of butternut all together... When I planted them, I picked an area that was a little too shady- no problem, they just grew longer vines, out into the sunnier section that they preferred!

 

[NwMtGardener]

I made a delicious squash soup a week or two ago with what I think was a Blue Hubbard squash...I didn't really follow a recipe, but baked the squash like Lesa, scooped it out of the shell and put in a big BIG soup pot, mashed it around a bit, added crispy bacon bits, half and half, and just cooked it down for a while. DELICIOUS! Put lots away in the freezer in smaller containers for a quick grab for lunch.

 

[Southern Gardener]

Ok then! That's another item added to the list for next spring. I'm going to need a bigger garden!