Ok, folks, just bring all your green and drying gourds to me. I will gladly keep them here in our mid-western, Central Illinois climate so they won't be in your northern states deep freeze. However, here we may not have good deep freezing until January and they could actually freeze and thaw twice in 24 hours. Up north, your gourds will actually have evaporated most of their liquid contents by early December. This will give them a good chance to develop a good thick shell. A thick shell is a good thing. You see, your gourds are actually aclimated to your area. I'm sure there is a most desirable soil, climate and terrain to grow gourds. I just don't happen to know where it is. So, its up to each of us to make the best of the conditions in our areas. Jan.....now stepping off her soap box.........

My squash will last a couple of months in the pantry, but they really won't make it past christmas. I've tried to figure out a way to set up cold storage, but we don't have a basement and the weather gets too warm during the winter for this to really work. I was going to leave some small squash in the pantry for the fall and early winter and process bigger ones for later (it's just the two of us). I suppose I'll just go ahead and freeze them. I have a recipe for a really yummy squash casserole that starts with parboiled squash and that's why I wanted some that wasn't fully cooked. I'll just cook it for the length of time that recipe recommends and then freeze it. The squash leather with lime juice sounds interesting.

Is this ever a helpful thread. I have the same problem, backyardbum. I just got my chest freezer last year. It's about 9 cubic feet - enough to meet the needs of my husband and I. I mainly use it to store fruit and meat but it also handles the overflow from our two bottom freezers on our refrigerators. When I was freezing strawberries awhile back, I was surprised to find about 12 pint- sized bags I didn't know were still in there! We bought a 1/4 beef plus some chickens and pork Tenderloins that ended up burying the berries. I put all my small bags of fruit into those 2 1/2 gallon zip bags, sorted of course. I think I can fit about 12 vacuum sealed bags in each large bag. The vacuum bags hold about 1-2 cups of fruit each, depending on the size of he fruit. I tried to find some baskets I could also use to hold the meat but so far I haven't found any that work well. I think I will try the shopping bag idea that Got_bullmastiff recommended. My husband & I are thinking of getting a 1/2 beef this year so I really need to get organized before October rolls around.

What about a peach chutney? A little hot spice and sweetness in one. Perfect for serving with poultry or pork. Here is one recipe but there are plenty of others. 20 to 24 peaches, medium to large, slightly under-ripe - just not dead ripe (total weight about 6 lb or 3 kg) - regardless of the raw intact amount, you 'll need about 3.5 to 4 quarts of peeled, cut up peaches. 3 cups brown sugar 1 large onion (finely chopped ) about 3/4 cup 5 cups red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup mustard seed 1.5 teaspoons ginger paste (available from Asian grocery stores), or 2 Tablespoons ground dry ginger or 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger. 2/3 teaspoon cumin seeds or ground cumin, if you can't get the seeds 1 cup raisins 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon red cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon garlic paste or puree Equipment Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars) Lid lifter (has a magnet to pick the lids out of the boiling water where you sanitize them. ($2 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores, but it's usually cheaper online from our affiliates) Jar funnel ($2 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores, but it's usually cheaper online from our affiliates) At least 1 large pot Large spoons and ladles Ball jars (Publix, Kroger, other grocery stores and some "big box" stores carry them - about $8 per dozen quart jars including the lids and rings) 1 Water Bath Canner (a huge pot with a lifting rack to sanitize the jars of peaches after filling (about $30 to $35 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores, but it's usually cheaper online from our affiliates) You CAN use a large pot instead, but the canners are deeper, and have a rack top make lifting the jars out easier. If you plan on canning every year, they're worth the investment. Here is a link that might be useful: Chutney