Do you struggle with storing your winter squash for longevity?
Then you need to cure it. Seriously, you need to cure your winter squash, making it last longer into the non-growing season.
Why Do you Need To Cure Your Winter Squash?
The process of curing your winter squash makes your harvest last longer than if you don’t. The skin of the squash becomes hardened, which allows you to handle them easier, improves storage life, and improves the flavor of your squash. Not all winter squash require hardening to gain these benefits, but most of them do.
How To Cure Your Winter Squash?
The three methods I’ve used or seen others do for curing winter squash are curing in the garden, on a windowsill, inside/outside in the sun.
Curing In The Garden
If your weather doesn’t allow enough time for your winter squash to cure, you could lose your bounty to moisture or freezes. One down fall is your winter squash do not all ripen at the same time. For early ripening squash, you will need to cut them off the vine and either lay them out in your garden, eat them, or use a different curing method.
How to cure your squash in the garden.
- Cut the winter squash from the vine in dry, warm weather. (60 to 80 Degrees.)
- Remove plants that shade the squash from getting sunlight. The squash need at least six hours of direct sunlight.
- Let the winter squash sit in the field for 5-10 day, weather permitting. You don’t want your squash to get lots of water.
- Make sure your squash has good air circulation.
- Handle the squash delicately so they don’t get bruised.
My neighbor uses this method of winter squash curing with success. He has to be very mindful of the squash, roll them, and not water while curing.
Curing Winter Squash On A Window Sill
This method requires you to cut the winter squash off the vine as they ripen and place them in a window sill area. Beware of how much direct sunlight your squash receives and the heat from the window. You don’t want to cook the squash through the window.
How to cure your winter squash in a window sill.
- Cut the squash from the vine in warm dry weather. If you are getting lots of rain and need to get the squash inside, it’s better to cut the squash and cure them longer than waiting and risking losing your crop.
- Wipe any dirt and water from each winter squash.
- Place them on your windowsill. Other options are on a table, in a wire rack, or on the floor.
- Make sure your squash has good air circulation.
- Let them cure for 5 to 10 days
We cure our squash in this manner with great success. I place them on a towel on a table, then gently roll the squash to a different side throughout the week. I do not have them in direct sunlight, but a very bright room with lots of windows. Any squash that wasn’t completely ripe finishes ripening as well. You want to cure ripe winter squash, however, I would rather pick some that are slightly underripened to save them from the weather. Freezing weather will destroy non-covered squash.
Curing Winter Squash Inside/Outside In The Sun
This method requires you to have the ability to move your squash inside and out as needed without handling them all the time. This method works great if you have something you can set your squash in, like a wagon. It allows you to have nature help you cure your winter squash, while keeping out of the unwanted elements.
How to cure your winter squash with the inside/outside method.
- Cut the squash when ripe on a warm dry day if possible.
- Clean squash of any debris or water.
- Place them on a towel or screen for airflow inside of a wagon, or something easy to move.
- Each day it’s sunny move your squash outside. On days it’s rainy, keep the squash in a dry, well lit area.
- Rotate the squash if they are on a towel to aid in air flow.
- Let cure for 5 to 10 days
Another one of my neighbors uses this method. She likes the ease of moving her squash outside on nice days, and bringing them inside to avoid high dew levels and rain. The bottom of her wagon is made from breathable fabric. She likes being able to cure her squash as they ripen.
How Do You Know When Your Winter Squash Is Cured?
Follow these steps to determine if you have properly cured your winter squash.
- Check the skin. The skin will have a hardened dry skin. Depending on the squash, the skin will also be smooth. Some squash varieties have natural bumps or ridges, which do not smooth out.
- Do a thumbnail test. Gently press your thumbnail into the skin. Do not jab the skin. If a slight or no indentations results and the skin feels hard, it has cured. If the winter squash easily bruises or dents, it’s not ready yet. If the squash starts to wrinkle or soften, it needs to be used quickly because it won’t cure.
- Check the stem for damage and softness. Damaged and soft areas around the stem can lead to your squash going bad faster.
Storing Your Cured Winter Squash
Keep your cured winter squash in a dark, cool, dry space. Check your squash often for spoilage or signs of spoilage. Check for soft spots, mold, rodents eating them, and stems that beginning to soften. Once one squash starts going bad, they will all follow very quickly.
We used to keep our cured winter squash in a wicker type basket for most of the winter. A few years ago, the only space we had was on a wire rack in our storage area. We found storing our squash on this rack added to the longevity of the squash. They were easier to check for spoilage in a glance. They weren’t touching each other, so one bad squash didn’t ruin them all.
One of our squash, a Tromboncino Squash, we hung off the top of the rack. We had several squash last for over a year. We used several of our squash, which were still in storage this spring as seeds for this year’s garden. Yes, they grew, but that’s another story.
Make the most of your winter squash bounty by curing and storing them correctly.
Enjoy!