[stompy]

When should i pick my butternut squashes. :?

They are about 9"long and 5" wide, and can i store them, if so how. :?

I would also like to know what to do with them, recipes (etc). :?

P.S. what do they taste of :oops:

[puravida]

mmmm- butternut squash is LOVELY!
Tastes buttery and nutty! Similar sort of taste to sweet potato but a bit nuttier.

I've never grown them but I guess home grown ones would get the same treatment in the kitchen.

The outer shell is really tough and woody so you want to use a sharp knife or peeler and get rid of that. You also have a hollow full of seeds in the fat base area so slice the squash in half and scopp out with a spoon.

Recipe wise - great par boiled then sliced into 3/4" slices, coated in olive oil and some salt/pepper and chucked on the bar-b-q until browned on each side.

Also great just cubed and made into mash with some butter and seasoning.

Also - cut the flesh into cubes and roast for 20 mins with some olive oil. You can then use the flesh as a interesting layer in lasagne. Also GREAT to make soup with the roasted flesh too.

Also good ingredient in stews too.

[Annie]

As with other squash wait until the foliage shows signs of being terminal,butternut usually turns a sort of yellow/buff colour as it ripens.I still have flowers on mine and if these get going they may still produce some fruit,if a frost doesn`t get them.
   They are delish. and when you do cut them leave a good 6" piece of stalk at the end.We store ours in onion nets ina cool larder and they keep for months.They have a really rich taste and are fab in winter roast with other veg ,but mostly we use it as a pasta sauce ,it tastes too good to mess with too much.

[James]

Peel them (blimming hard work!), boil them and mash them with butter/cream + salt and pepper.

Don't peel them, quarter them, scoop out the seeds and bake in the oven - with maybe olive oil, sugar, honey, lemon juice, bay leaf, thyme etc. etc.

[stompy]

I'm guessing they are nice to eat by themselves then.
I can't wait to try them, i will store some and eat the others.
Thanks for the responces guys.

[hermon]

butternut squash soup with coconut milk and a bit of chilli pwder mmmmmmmmmm

[Annie]

..nice to eat by themselves...
       Thats why,despite us not having quite the right climate and growing year to year is varied, so many of us still try.

[milkman]

I find my meat cleaver very useful when it comes to chopping open squashes and pumpkins and removing the tough outer skin.  It arrived in our house as a wedding present...OH had put it on the list...