All of my butternut squash have developed a skin condition - should I be worried? will they still store OK? ???
I cut into one and it was fine on the inside and still tasted yummy!
Off the top of my head I would say eat 'em, we eat bruised apples, spuds with scab etc. The skin is just there to protect the inside, and if that's OK, chomp it ! Probably get shot down in flames by somebody far more knowledgable than me (not particulary difficult) {:¬)
It looks to me like it might be black rot, or similar rot ...
http://www.uga.edu/vegetable/squash.html
There are certainly more knowledgeable people on here who may know in detail, I hope they post here.
In the absence of that, I would suggest you try and store it , but keep it separate from any others ... and keep an eye on it if it starts to deteriorate ...
Derekthefox :D
my poor babies :'( ;)
they have all got it (only managed to grow 4 though). They were fine on the plant, it has developed as they are curing.
The rate we get through it they won't be storing for long!
Daisymay
I think Wardy's probably right - whatever it is that's wrong with it, it don't look promising for long term storage :-[.
As the one you cut seems OK inside, then peel, chop, & freeze it. If you haven't got freezer space for all of them, you might end up having to give them away to deserving folk.
Thanks guys, will do that. At least they still taste good! will have a big cook up of them at the weekend. I just love butternut squash and sweetcorn soup, so will make a big batch of that and try the risotto - not had that yet ...
still smiling! am just proud I managed to grow them in the first place ;D
Aaawww Daisymay I wish you well with them and hope you can use them before they all go off.
GOOD LUCK!
;D :D
Daisymay
so you should be proud of them, they are the best part of £2.00 each in the supermarkets! So that's probably at least £6.00 to £8.00 worth of produce you've got there :D
We only managed a poor crop this year - we got 8 off four plants, and most of them off just 2 plants. Generally a bad year all round for squashes, what with germination problems a lot of people (including us) had earlier :'(.
What they got then , Wardy! Knew they tasted lovely, but was unsure as to nutrional value? How's that for a sensible question! ;D ;D ;D Feeling quietly chuffed......
Lottie
Erm, Wards, is me you talking too.. :-\ need step by step recipe in recipe bit, or will all go horribly wrong... ;D
where are you storing them? If it is anywhere cool condensation could form on the surface of the skin slowly rotting them. I have had this problem storing them in a cool pantry.
Good Luck ???
on the kitchen window ledge to cure at the moment Chris, were in the greenhouse before, so think condensation could well be the problem! It does get quite steamed up!
thanks everyone x
I got that last year and somebody posted this up for me
"I think you probably mean Black rot, also known as Gummy stem rot? Normally dark brown spots getting increasingly large with very noticeable rings in the browning?
Pictured at:
http://www.americangourdsociety.org/FAQ/gummy.html"
i ended up eating them as well and i'm still around now, so enjoy
Quote from: chrispea27 on November 09, 2005, 07:02:26
where are you storing them? If it is anywhere cool condensation could form on the surface of the skin slowly rotting them. I have had this problem storing them in a cool pantry.
Not quite. The condensation provides the moisture that the black rot fungal spores need to germinate. JennyM mentioned at one time washing green tomatoes prior to storage with a mild sterilant (I can't remember which, perhaps Jenny will remind me?) to kill tomato blight spores. The same could be done with squash also, for this fungus, if you so wish.
Hello John!
Well, the mild sterilant was just a drop or peroxide bleach into the water - however, others here have used Milton, which is a sterilant for babies feeding bottles.
(Would appreciate any input you have on the Fig tree post in Basics, if you have time to have a look)
Jenny
Quote from: undercarriage plan on November 08, 2005, 23:37:16
Erm, Wards, is me you talking too.. :-\ need step by step recipe in recipe bit, or will all go horribly wrong... ;D
Looks like Wardy has been tidying again ::)
You could also try a dissolved cambden tablet as a nice gentle and safe way of sterilising the outside of veg before storage.
Quote from: jennym on November 13, 2005, 12:32:13
(Would appreciate any input you have on the Fig tree post in Basics, if you have time to have a look)
Time, yes. Input, no. Figs in -30C winters don't go together and while I have thought of doing one in a pot I have never bothered. The recomended pot cv. for us doesn't get good reviews for flavour.
Thanks anyway John - gosh -30C is cold!!!
thanks for your replies everyone. black rot it is then! Newbie strikes again! I never thought to wash them when I cut them as I thought this may make them rot, so now I know I should give them a little bath :) learn something new everyday!
am down to our last one now, we love them so much, eating them quickly has not been too much of a hardship!