I can after the squash or pumpkin has had time to cure (in other words, I sanitize the peel to prevent mold and decay and store in cool conditions then can several months later). I don't can squash out of the garden because it hasn't winter-hardened to develop the fullest flavor.

My guess is canning straight out of the garden the squash was a little green and hadn't had a change to develop the fullest flavor. It probably was somewhat watery and bland?

I'm assuming you followed current processing recommendations, which are for cubed pumpkin or squash only, not pureed or mashed.

Carol

Carol, please share what you use to sanitize the peel. I am having problems with the decay/mold growing on the acorn and butternut squash I buy (because I like to keep them awhile) - the insides are fine, but I am disgusted with the mold issues.

Do you sanitize other vegggies or fruits?

Carol, I think you've put your finger on the problem: the squash while not "fresh from the garden," were near enough and must not have had time to fully ripen. And they did have some greenish under the outer skin.
Thank you, Carol, I'm glad to have learned this. Magothyriver, my method of sanitizing was to soak the squash in a solution of bleach for 5 minutes, and then paint stem and blossom end--I used beeswax just because I have it, paraffin is usually recommended. Carol may have more and better suggestions.

I don't know if they're "more and better," LOL. I use a solution of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water, which is more than adequate to prevent mold and/or delay decay (assuming good storage conditions). I allow the squash to air-dry and then store. I don't use paraffin, though it makes sense to do so. The big thing, I think is to leave some of the stem attached. Otherwise the squash do tend to deteriorate more quickly.

I do have to add that some garden years are just crummy for squash and their keeping qualities are compromised no matter what you do. Sometimes Mother Nature wins.

It's why the canning recommendations for mashed or pureed squash and pumpkin butter were pulled. The water content of the squashes varied so much from season-to-season and garden-to-garden the USDA/NCHFP couldn't get a consistent pH or density in the batches they tested.

Carol

Thanks to both of you for the sanitizing method. I love bleach. It will become part of my routine now.
Interesting about the stem end rot. I baked a spaghetti squash last night that I had just bought - in fact the produce guy picked it out for me (he didn't like the one I picked for him to weigh:)- when I cut it open, it was nasty black rotten all around the stem end. I had to cut off about 5" to get away from it. The rest of the squash was delicious.
I learn so much here - thank you both. Sorry to hijack your post about the sanitizing.

While I do not grow my own squash, I cook butternut squash often in the fall and winter. My own experience has been that butternut squash cooked in the pressure cooker has to have some water in the pot to generate the steam and I found this to be...yep, tasteless and watery. That is why I bake/roast the squash. I cut it in half, remove the seeds and inner strings, bake the squash cut side down for 45 minutes to an hour at 350-375F until a knife can enter the outer peel very easily. Then I let it cool and scoop out the flesh with a large spoon.

I make my favorite soup or mash it up and season it for a side dish. My little dog loves this squash too! If I have any leftover, I will freeze the soup. Usually I take some of the soup to a good friend at work as she loves it.

I don't think you were hijacking. It all relates and it's how we learn from each other.

I quit trusting our local produce person when she didn't know the difference between acorn squash (i.e. Danish) and Butternut! And the poor young clerks don't recognize half the produce I buy. Any of the root vegetables are an unknown quantity. And greens. Kale is alien.

OK, now I'm the hijacker, LOL.

Carol

I just canned 14 qts of butternut squash yesterday, and opened one to try, and it is kind of blah tasting. It also turned a brownish orange color- a little unappetizing. Now I don't know whether to let my remainder squash sit for a few months and then can it, or just try and blanch and freeze. I have limited freezer space, though.

I have always baked excess winter squashes and keep meal/ recipe sized portions in the freezer. Winter squash are good keepers if you have a cool dry storage area so it isn't like you have to process all of the squash. Keep some to use 'fresh' and process the extras. The cooked puree makes for the most efficient use of your freezer space.