Not Much Winter Squash

Last year, I planted my winter squash too early. This year I planted it too late. Neither worked out very well. Last year the plants really suffered in the extreme heat and drought, but we did get a semi decent harvest. So, this year I planted them later. Actually, later than I planned, so they were too late. And then along came some mildew and squash bugs after I had started back to work. The end result? A rather dismal harvest.

Then because of the mildew and bugs, the plants died before the squash was very mature.

So. I picked everything and left them out on the porch to dry and cure a little before frost came and I had to bring them inside. Most of the stems were a little mushy when I picked them and I figured this would end up affecting the squash. It did.

I left them as long as I could before I knew I would have to do something or lose them all. As it is, I lost more than I wanted to. Again, I just waited too long.

The necks were the first place to show they were going bad. 

I took all of the Cushaw squash I had, peeled them, took the seeds out and cut them up. As I did so, I ran into places that were deteriorating.

The chickens enjoyed the scraps and the seeds.

I used just enough water to cover the squash and boiled it gently until it was soft.

Then I scooped out enough to work with and mashed it up with my potato masher. 

I  put it in ziplock freezer bags in four cup increments because this is how much I use to make a pie.

Even with all of the waste, I ended up with a fair amount of squash. These seven quarts will make seven pies throughout the winter. I have tried using it to make a squash bread recipe that is very good also, but we prefer the pie. It is very simple and tastes great.  

Since we are having pretty cold weather and are defrosting one of the freezers, I decided to freeze these overnight out on the porch. It worked pretty well.

Not all ventures in providing food for ourselves are a great success. Some are, some aren’t and some are just so-so. But one thing is always guaranteed. If you try, you will learn, from successes or failures. Another thing is also guaranteed. If you don’t try, you will never learn. Which way will you choose?

Until next time – Fern