Michigan Fresh: Using, Storing, and Preserving Winter Squash (HNI19) (2024)

FAQs

Michigan Fresh: Using, Storing, and Preserving Winter Squash (HNI19)? ›

Store whole winter squash in a cool (45 to 50 degrees F) place. If stored properly, most varieties will keep up to 3 months. Store cut squash in the refrigerator and use within a week.

Storage life varies by squash type. Acorn squash stores the shortest amount of time: 4 weeks. Spaghetti stores four to five weeks; Buttercup, 13 weeks; Butternut, up to six months; Blue Hubbard, six to seven months.

Hard skin slows respiration, helps the stored squash resist rot and collapse, and allows long storage. Cure squash and pumpkins for 10 days at temperatures between 80°F and 85°F and relative humidity of 80 to 85 percent.

Storage Conditions

Squash store best at an even 50°F in a dark place. This could be a cool and dark shelf, cabinet, or drawer in the kitchen, pantry, or closet. They also store well in a warmer section of the root cellar such as on the top shelf.

The best way to freeze raw butternut and other varieties of winter squash is in one-inch cubes, after first peeling it and removing the seeds. Peel and cut the squash into one-inch chunks. Spread the pieces in a single layer on a parchment or wax paper-lined baking sheet and place in the freezer.

Food Safety and Storage

Scrub winter squash with a vegetable brush under cool running water before cooking or cutting. Do not use soap. Do not wash squash before storing. Keep squash away from raw meat and meat juices to prevent cross-contamination.

You should store most winter squashes and pumpkins at about 50 to 55 degrees; don't let the temperature go below 50 degrees. Give them moderate humidity and good air circulation. A garage is usually suitable, as long as the pumpkins and squash are on shelves off the floor. A layer of straw helps keep them dry.

For the best-quality squash, wait to harvest all types until they are mature — at least 50–55 days after the fruit has set — and cure before storing and eating.

What happens if you don't blanch squash before freezing? ›

Summer squash, like most vegetables, must be blanched before they can be frozen. Blanching stops enzyme actions that can cause loss of flavor, color and texture. Blanching works best if you heat 1 gallon of water to boiling in a large pot fitted with a wire basket or colander.

Line a dry baking sheet with parchment paper and place the squash cubes or slices on it in a single layer. Freeze for one hour, or until solid. Once the squash has frozen solid, you can slide if off the parchment paper and transfer it to zip-top freezer bags to store for the long haul.

If storing Acorn squash, curing will not be necessary. Once cured, squash store best in cooler, dark environments, such as a shelf, cabinet or drawer in a pantry or closet. Wrap the individual squash in cloth or paper and ensure that they are not touching each other to prevent bruising.

Depending on the type of pumpkin or squash, it should last 2 to 6 months when stored at the ideal temperature of between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit; a cool basem*nt can work well. Under ideal storage conditions, acorn squash can last up to 2 months, butternuts 2-to-3 months, and hubbarbs 5 to 6 months.

We do not recommend canning summer squash or zucchini. We recommend preserving summer squash or zucchini by pickling or freezing.

Answer. Yellow squash or summer squash can be frozen but must be blanched prior to freezing to inactivate naturally occurring enzymes to prevent spoiling while frozen. A quick boil followed by cold water immersion is the concept behind blanching prior to freezing.

Afterward, butternut squash can last for up to four months, hubbard squash for six months, and kabocha until eight months later.

So which winter squash is the overall nutrient heavyweight? Acorn squash wins the match. It offers more folate, calcium, magnesium (nearly one-third of a day's worth in one cup) and potassium than butternut, hubbard and spaghetti squash.