Just don't put them there until weather gets cold. Attics can really heat up when the sun is shining. I remember 25 years ago, when we lived in a house trailer and had an exceptionally large squash harvest. We had them under our bed, behind the couch and other furniture and even used one for a door stop! The door stop squash, a large Tahitian Melon Squash, lasted for about a year. George

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?

It has been an unusual growing season so that could be playing into the flavor outcome. I had a few frost warnings a month ago. Now the long past summer squashes i had not gotten around to cleaning the beds, are producing a second core of green and a new crop. Not sure of my varieties. It was a mixed packet trade. The white i roasted was about the size of an acorn i roasted with it. A bit bigger than a softball. I cut them in half, cut side down, on a parchment lined 1/2 sheet pan. That day i was roasting quartered toms, whole garlic heads, onions, peppers, etc, just keeping up with the bounty. About 8 sheet pans in rotation. Made a few different soups to freeze in a muti-tasking frenzy. It did not look promising at first. Once it cooled down and settled, while i was busy doing other thing, it became much more creamy and the flavor bloomed. Growing for market or farm stand is an exhausting amount of work. Most buyers have no idea what to do with it all. A guessing game i'm sure what will sell. Seasonal crop recipe cards might help. I've done that for my friends farm. When i stop by for a visit, (for corn, i don't grow corn), i'm always asked by strangers, "what's that? what do you do with that?". I bet 90% of winter squash/pumpkins are purchased for decoration.

Glenda I love the way winter squashes get sweeter as they are stored, which occurs because enzymes are converting the starches back to sugars. After a very wet year in which the harvested squashes feel "too heavy" (compared to how a given variety usually feels in a normal year) or the texture is too watery, both the taste and texture of those squashes will improve as they sit there in storage and 'age'. Of course, there's a point at which they sit too long in storage and start to spoil (and even can begin to ferment). If you keep an eye on your overwintered squashes as the months go on, you'll begin to notice a very slight change in their skin color. This is a sign they're approaching the 'point of no return' and are about to start spoiling. When this happens, if you have several left you still can save them by processing them into puree and freezing it. Here where I live, I've had Seminole pumpkins last at least 8 months and sometimes longer and I've had Turk's Turban last 12-18 months in a dry year where humidity overall stayed lower than usual. The Turk's Turbans weren't even in a particularly good storage area like a tornado shelter or unheated pantry---they were sitting on a shelf in the insulated but unheated barn/garage. Dawn