Delicata squash holding up (storing) great

10 years ago

I tried delicate squash for the first time this year, and I like them very much. It is said that you should eat them as soon as possible, as they are supposed to be thin skinned, and the first winter-type squash to go bad. I picked mine starting around Labor Day, and they're all still pristine. They even last pretty well after you cut them, as long as you cover the cut surface tightly. Since I live alone, I can only eat about three slices at a time, and I'll end up composting at least half my harvest from this season.

All in all, a great crop if you're not really a ;fan of winter squash, but you want to try something that will store for a while, if not all winter.

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Comments (6)

tcstoehr
10 years ago
Delicata squash is a *must* *grow* for me each year. They are delicious and anyone I give them to always comes back and asks for more. They ripen to perfection by Oct 1st in the PNW and can be eaten immediately, filling the void while waiting for the Maximas to reach their peak. Vines are highly productive, 25 fruits per plant this year. I can cube them into dishes without worrying about the skin. They can be sliced and eaten raw if you're into that. They last much longer in storage than they get credit for. I can eat them into March when stored on a shelf in my unheated garage that never freezes. About mid-March they suddenly go dry, corky and flavorless, practically all at once. By that time I have plenty of well seasoned Maximas that are calling out to be eaten.
If you have room to grow squashes, you have no excuse to not be growing these. Seriously, you gotta do it.
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jonfrum
Original Author
10 years ago
When I ate them fresh, I had no problem with the skins. Now that they've dried out somewhat, I find them for than I want to chew through. It's easy enough to cut off the skin of each piece. I gave some away and got rave reviews - my library lady baked me a cranberry bread in exchange afterwards.

25 fruits per vine? I get 2-3. You must be doing something amazing with your plants.
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Hello groall, Regarding your comment about something to take some of the moisture out of the air and maintain the temp, a few years ago, I was raising tropical fish and had so many fish tanks running in the basement that I had to do something about the humidity (>75%, sometimes 85%). I bought a dehumidifier, which, over the course of several months, brought the humidity down to 30-40% or so. They do emit a fair amount of heat as well. The drawback (for me, anyway) was the jump in the electricity bill. It's pretty easy to figure out whether you can stomach the cost. In case someone doesn't know, just multiply the wattage of the unit by the number of hours a day you expect it to run, multiply that by the number of days in the month, multiply that by your utility's electric rate and divide by 1,000. Example: 800 watts x 12 hours a day x 30 days x $0.0982 per kWh Ã· 1,000 = $28.28 per month. I don't know, of course, but I wouldn't think you'd be faced with removing as much humidity as I was. (My bill ran an extra $100 a month.) I was advised on the fish forum where I posted that I would have been better off if I'd used a good exhaust fan (something like 100 cu ft/minute). Hope that helps, and good luck with your squash-keeping schemings.
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I grew Confection for the first time because I wanted a dry squash, similiar to Buttercup, that kept well. I don't know how long it will keep but this is the dryest squash I've ever cooked. I added some evaporated milk and should have added more. I've been searching recipes so I'm sure I can do a better job the next time. It was so dry it was mealy. In the past we've been careful not to overcook Buttercup because it can get watery. (I don't usually cook Butternut because we think it's too watery.) But Confection although nice tasting needs some extra liquid. On my plate, out of desperation, I mixed in some apple sauce. I'm not sure I would grow it again. We have enjoyed Kabocha varieties from the market but this year we were able to grow winter squash. I got the seed from Johnnie's. We'll have to see how they do in storage since my husband's family felt lucky to have Buttercup last until Christmas. Any thoughts/advice on how Confection compares with other Kabocha varieties?
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tcstoehr
10 years ago
2-3 per vine... or per plant? 2-3 per plant isn't too good. Johhny's seeds advertises 5-7 per plant. I always thought that was low. Maybe that's what you get when your grow 3 plants on each "hill".
Some people put several seeds per station. But I plant them individually, 6 feet apart, in their own 4 foot wide row. Climate here is I believe excellent for C Pepo. Marginal for C Maxima. Not so good for C Moschata.
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jonfrum
Original Author
10 years ago
I got more fruit on some plants, but they started late and never grew to eating size. Given that I live alone and can only eat squash so often, I'm happy with the production I got.
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wertach zone 7-B SC
10 years ago
I'm wondering a few things about this squash now!

What do they taste like? Similar to butternut or something else?

Diseases?
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tcstoehr
10 years ago
I would say they taste similar to Acorn. It's different from the true winter squashes like Butternut or Hubbards. Smoother, sweeter and moister. Of course add butter to taste.
I don't have any disease issues with them, except that powdery mildew hits them hard in September. But they still reliably deliver a solid crop.
Here's this year's Delicata Squash patch on October 8th. It looks like a mess but there's gold in there. If I had only one crop to grow, this would be it.
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Delicata squash holding up (storing) great

Comments (6)

tcstoehr

jonfrum
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tcstoehr

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Delicata squash holding up (storing) great

Comments (6)

tcstoehr

jonfrumOriginal Author

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tcstoehr

jonfrumOriginal Author

wertach zone 7-B SC

tcstoehr

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jonfrum
Original Author

jonfrum
Original Author