pumpkins harvested this eve...brrrr

[Wren]

My pumpkins and butternuts have been ripe and ready for about a month now. There skin is brightest orange or darkest silver grey depending on verity, and pine wood beige for the butternuts, and due to sun curing the skin is hard as thick leather , there is that hollow sound when you tap them with your cutting knife.
I live in a frosty hollow in the south downs and it's bleeding cold tonight, when i breath there is a mist in the air and i can feel jack frost in me bones. I need my winter squash to keep and i don't have enough fleece to cover the sprawling mass so as they are ripe i am not taking any chances an they are all now cut and in the safety of my shed.
The weather forecasters are making noises about ground frosts, so in they come.

Been looking forward to these squashes

spicy pumpkin soup and creamy butternut Thai style curry.

Wren

[Paulottie]

Hi Wren,

No emergency with the squashes...a light frost or two may kill the plants but it won't damage the fruits. (Needs to get colder for that...this is sunny Sussex afterall). I have half an allotment covered in various pumkins at the moment .....it's only when the sea of foliage is gone that I shall be able to see what I've got in there!

Also the more the stalk dries and trying not to cut stalks (rather through main vine) both important factors in storage

[Two_Sheds]

trying not to cut stalks .... important factors in storage

Indeed: leave as long a stalk as you can (at least 12")

[Jeanied]

Thanks for the timely advice Paulottie and Two Sheds! I was wondering what to do about mine on the allotment! I went slightly crazy with the planting of different varieties this year and they are all getting to that interesting stage!

[reetnproper]

Indeed: leave as long a stalk as you can (at least 12")

My longest stalk on ANY of my pumpkins/squashes is 3 inches at best!!!! Most are around 1 inch.

I do cut as near to the stem as possible and I'm not planning on keeping them too long (far too tasty ).

Reet
x

[LolaLou]

I cut a green butternut off by mistake when tidying up at the weekend.........could have kicked myself! Its smallish (although I've had a smaller Hunter ripen already!) and very green, so its living on my window cil now and I'm crossing everything that it ripens up as I LOVE butternuts and feel a right bloomin' fool for hacking off the wrong bit of the plant, we'll see if it makes it......shame on me!!!