delicata squash - c. pepo storage duration?

tjg911 · February 14, 2011

ok i have waited, today is mid february, it is time for this post.

i have kept 1 delicata squash just to see how long these store. i ate the last 2 about a month ago. initially in the basement i had 10 go bad out of 20 in the 1st 6 weeks! well c. pepo don't store well but 6 weeks! acorn keep to what mid december so i expected delicata to be about the same. i did read somewhere delicata store a long time but figured that was just wrong, they're c.pepo and they do not store very long.

so this last squash has been in the office since halloween or thanksgiving. the temperature has been from 60 to 65. this squash is still in GOOD condition! it is firm and the exterior does not show any sign of spoiling.

the ones in the basement may have gone bad as i would open the basement windows in october to drop the temperature in the basement and they may have been effected by that. i'd do this if the over night temps were below 40 degrees especially if the wind was blowing to force cold air into the basement. they were in boxes not touching each other on the floor on 2 X 6 so they were on on concrete but cold air sinks.

so just how long will delicata squash keep?

how long have your delicata kept? i bet you ate them all by now huh? i may have the last delicata grown in the northeast in 2010!

TZ-OH6 · February 14, 2011

I had one last well into the summer last year before I ate it. The flavor was not great, but the skin was still hard. I have about half of mine left from this past year and they are all still good.

erlyberd · February 14, 2011

tjg911, First off, howdy neighbor. It seems like you went through a lot of trouble to store your delicata? I never grew it but have'nt been without my butternut for the last 20 years or so. It's so easy to store, I keep it in the garage, the spare bedroom, this year right near the furnace, temp around 55-60 degrees and that is it. Just cooked one up today and it was just perfect, sweet like candy! I still have three left. Believe itor not my butternuts even had damage from squirrels gnawing on them out in the garden and I only lost one or two out of maybe ten with gnaw marks. Did you dry/cure them enough before storing and leave enough space for air movement? Perhaps your basement is too humid/damp? Only lasting 6 weeks is a bummer. Also, if the fruit gets a hard enough frost before picking it seems to shorten the shelf life big time. According to JSS, delicata and sweet dumpling can store up to 4 months were as butternut can last up to six months.Ever try the buttercups? Yum. I think they taste even better.Wish you better luck this season.

RinTinTin · February 15, 2011

Winter squash should be fully ripe before picking if you plan to store them.
A light frost will convert some of the starch to sugar, but a heavy frost will form ice crystals, which turn the flesh to mush when thawed.
When picking, CUT the stem to avoid any damage. Leave 2-3" of stem on the squash, but do NOT carry them by the stem. Let them sun dry until the stems begin to shrivel & turn grey. Do NOT wash them until ready to cook.
45-50° & 65-70% humidity should give best storage for most winter squash.
If you are saving seeds, let squash cure for 4-5 weeks before cutting open
(or just wait until you open them for cooking).
If you have too many (or some are starting to 'turn' on you) they make excellent feed for poultry and hogs.

**carolyn137** · February 15, 2011

Of all the squash I've grown I've never considered Delicata to be a long storage type squash. So would eat it first.

And I never considered acorn squash to be a long storage squash either.

Butternuts and buttercups and hubbards and many others would keep for me for many months.

When I was growing up on the farm we'd harvest the squash in the fall in the field and put them in big piles then Dad would throw these heavy comforter type tarps over them, then they were transferred to the greenhouses for curing in the sun, then sold, but of course we kept lots of squash for home use as well.

fortyonenorth · February 15, 2011

I haven't grown Delicatas, but I still have several other pepos in the basement which are doing fine.

With regard to prolonging storage life, I generally "clean" the fruit which are destined for storage with a very mild bleach solution. I don't know if this is universally necessary, but I do it to get rid of any bacteria in the various bite and claw marks - from the various creatures around here, not the impatient gardener.

Following this routine, I rarely lose any squash before the new year. Some last well into the Spring and beyond.

Wi-sunflower · February 15, 2011

Something else that determines how well a squash stores is what kind of weather you had when the crop was maturing. If you have a wet fall they won't store well at all. If it's a dry fall they will do much better if not spectacular.

At least that's a biggie for me with squash.

Carol

tjg911 · February 15, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by erlyberd

Did you dry/cure them enough before storing and leave enough space for air movement? Perhaps your basement is too humid/damp? ..... According to JSS, delicata and sweet dumpling can store up to 4 months were as butternut can last up to six months.Ever try the buttercups? Yum. I think they taste even better.Wish you better luck this season.

yes i cured the delicata like the butternut. if a light frost was a worry i'd cover them with an old comforter and if real cold like below 29 i'd bring them in and put them back out the next day. cured for 10-12 days turning each squash 1/3 of a turn per day. my basement is as dry as the sahara!

i too have read 4 months for delicata or c. pepo in general. apparently delicata can store a lot longer! i have eaten store bought buttercup but due to the squash vine borer i have not been able to grow them. this year i will and cover the plants with frc until july 4th. so this year i will have butterncup and butternut which i have grown for many years. i agree with you, i think buttercup is even better tasting than butternut and i like butternut a lot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RinTinTin

Winter squash should be fully ripe before picking if you plan to store them.
A light frost will convert some of the starch to sugar, but a heavy frost will form ice crystals, which turn the flesh to mush when thawed.
When picking, CUT the stem to avoid any damage. Leave 2-3" of stem on the squash, but do NOT carry them by the stem. Let them sun dry until the stems begin to shrivel & turn grey. Do NOT wash them until ready to cook.
45-50° & 65-70% humidity should give best storage for most winter squash.

i agree with and do all you said except i store winter squash at 55 to 60 degrees, 45-50 is too cold. when i stored them at those temperatures they'd get bad spots by mid to late february.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fortyonenorth

With regard to prolonging storage life, I generally "clean" the fruit which are destined for storage with a very mild bleach solution. I don't know if this is universally necessary

i do this too as jss suggested this in their catalog.

happydog · February 19, 2011

I've kept an open cardboard box of delicatas, red kuris, and kabocha squashes under my kitchen table since fall. The delicatas were starting to turn colors so we ate them last week.

We keep the thermostat at 63 degrees but it's warming up to the high 60s lately. So for me they keep till mid february or till the weather gets warm. Probably if I had a root cellar or basement they'd keep longer.

They do seem to be more a bit more perishable than the other squashes.

February 14, 2011	#1
tjg911 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: zone 5b northwest connecticut Posts: 2,570	delicata squash - c. pepo storage duration? ok i have waited, today is mid february, it is time for this post. i have kept 1 delicata squash just to see how long these store. i ate the last 2 about a month ago. initially in the basement i had 10 go bad out of 20 in the 1st 6 weeks! well c. pepo don't store well but 6 weeks! acorn keep to what mid december so i expected delicata to be about the same. i did read somewhere delicata store a long time but figured that was just wrong, they're c.pepo and they do not store very long. so this last squash has been in the office since halloween or thanksgiving. the temperature has been from 60 to 65. this squash is still in GOOD condition! it is firm and the exterior does not show any sign of spoiling. the ones in the basement may have gone bad as i would open the basement windows in october to drop the temperature in the basement and they may have been effected by that. i'd do this if the over night temps were below 40 degrees especially if the wind was blowing to force cold air into the basement. they were in boxes not touching each other on the floor on 2 X 6 so they were on on concrete but cold air sinks. so just how long will delicata squash keep? how long have your delicata kept? i bet you ate them all by now huh? i may have the last delicata grown in the northeast in 2010! __________________ I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night He’s gotta be strong And he’s gotta be fast And he’s gotta be fresh from the fight I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the morning light He’s gotta be sure And it’s gotta be soon And he’s gotta be larger than life

February 15, 2011	#5
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Of all the squash I've grown I've never considered Delicata to be a long storage type squash. So would eat it first. And I never considered acorn squash to be a long storage squash either. Butternuts and buttercups and hubbards and many others would keep for me for many months. When I was growing up on the farm we'd harvest the squash in the fall in the field and put them in big piles then Dad would throw these heavy comforter type tarps over them, then they were transferred to the greenhouses for curing in the sun, then sold, but of course we kept lots of squash for home use as well. __________________ Carolyn

February 14, 2011	#2
TZ-OH6 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mid-Ohio Posts: 847	I had one last well into the summer last year before I ate it. The flavor was not great, but the skin was still hard. I have about half of mine left from this past year and they are all still good.

February 14, 2011	#3
erlyberd Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: CT Zone 5 Posts: 186	tjg911, First off, howdy neighbor. It seems like you went through a lot of trouble to store your delicata? I never grew it but have'nt been without my butternut for the last 20 years or so. It's so easy to store, I keep it in the garage, the spare bedroom, this year right near the furnace, temp around 55-60 degrees and that is it. Just cooked one up today and it was just perfect, sweet like candy! I still have three left. Believe itor not my butternuts even had damage from squirrels gnawing on them out in the garden and I only lost one or two out of maybe ten with gnaw marks. Did you dry/cure them enough before storing and leave enough space for air movement? Perhaps your basement is too humid/damp? Only lasting 6 weeks is a bummer. Also, if the fruit gets a hard enough frost before picking it seems to shorten the shelf life big time. According to JSS, delicata and sweet dumpling can store up to 4 months were as butternut can last up to six months.Ever try the buttercups? Yum. I think they taste even better.Wish you better luck this season.

February 15, 2011	#4
RinTinTin Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Seattle Posts: 581	Winter squash should be fully ripe before picking if you plan to store them. A light frost will convert some of the starch to sugar, but a heavy frost will form ice crystals, which turn the flesh to mush when thawed. When picking, CUT the stem to avoid any damage. Leave 2-3" of stem on the squash, but do NOT carry them by the stem. Let them sun dry until the stems begin to shrivel & turn grey. Do NOT wash them until ready to cook. 45-50° & 65-70% humidity should give best storage for most winter squash. If you are saving seeds, let squash cure for 4-5 weeks before cutting open (or just wait until you open them for cooking). If you have too many (or some are starting to 'turn' on you) they make excellent feed for poultry and hogs.

February 15, 2011	#6
fortyonenorth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: NW Indiana Posts: 1,150	I haven't grown Delicatas, but I still have several other pepos in the basement which are doing fine. With regard to prolonging storage life, I generally "clean" the fruit which are destined for storage with a very mild bleach solution. I don't know if this is universally necessary, but I do it to get rid of any bacteria in the various bite and claw marks - from the various creatures around here, not the impatient gardener. Following this routine, I rarely lose any squash before the new year. Some last well into the Spring and beyond.

February 15, 2011	#7
Wi-sunflower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,591	Something else that determines how well a squash stores is what kind of weather you had when the crop was maturing. If you have a wet fall they won't store well at all. If it's a dry fall they will do much better if not spectacular. At least that's a biggie for me with squash. Carol

February 19, 2011	#9
happydog Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Appalachian Mountains NC Posts: 151	I've kept an open cardboard box of delicatas, red kuris, and kabocha squashes under my kitchen table since fall. The delicatas were starting to turn colors so we ate them last week. We keep the thermostat at 63 degrees but it's warming up to the high 60s lately. So for me they keep till mid february or till the weather gets warm. Probably if I had a root cellar or basement they'd keep longer. They do seem to be more a bit more perishable than the other squashes.