Squish Squash

Winter Squashes and pumpkins differ from summer squashes as they have a harder skin, which means you can store them for up to six months for use as and when you require them. This makes them a very useful asset to any vegetable patch.

But when to harvest and how to store them? It is best to leave them on the vine for as long as you can, to allow the fruits to mature and accumulate the highest quantity of sugars from the leaves. This will help develop the flavour. But store safely before the first frost as frosted fruit will not store.

When they have developed a deep, rich colour and they ring hollow when lightly tapped, they are ready.

Cut the stem with a sharp knife leaving a couple of inches of stem attached to the squash. Without the stem they tend to rot. Don’t use the stem as a handle for carrying them either as this can damage them.

To store them they first need to be cured which can be done simply by placing them either outdoors in sunlight or if the weather doesn’t allow, in a greenhouse or cold frame for a week or two. This allows the skin to fully harden.

They can then be moved to storage at a lower temperature under 15C, for example, in a well-ventilated garage.

Make sure you use up any damaged or stemless ones first, a lovely soup is my favourite.

Bigger and Better

As it’s such a good time of year for moving things while the ground is still warm enough we are trying to get a few projects finished at home.

One of them is a new path around the summerhouse and to try and blend this in I have been busy this week extending the bed by the small pond by adding in a few new plants, dividing some of the existing ones and moving the rocks around.

I think I prefer its slightly larger size, hopefully the plants will get going quickly and fill out into their new space, I am sure this warm wet weather will help!