How to Harvest, Cure, and Store Butternut Squash

Is there anything better than winter squash grown on vines in your backyard? Absolutely not. Acorn, Lakota, and kabocha are all lovely, however, they do not compare to the delicate flavor of butternut squash. If you are growing this wonderful crop, how do you know when to harvest butternut squash? 

There are a few key things that indicate a squash is ready for harvest. You’ll have to pay attention to the season. The vine itself also gives you an indication of when fruits are ripe for picking. To top it off, there’s a drying and storage process too. 

Harvest butternut squash correctly, cure it, and you will find that you can save seeds for squash gardening in the future. You can even harvest slightly green butternuts and eat them.

At this point, you’ve got the butternut squash gardening down. Now, let’s talk about harvesting your plants!

The Best Time to Harvest Butternut Squash

Typically, butternut squash is ready to be picked in late fall or early winter. However, if you plant your squash early enough, it could be ready in the summer. So, use other methods to tell whether you have a mature squash. It’s possible you could be harvesting at a different time. 

Timing Techniques

Timing varies depending on when you have butternut squash growing. In general, butternut squash takes about 100 to 120 days from planting time to mature. So if you planted seeds in late spring, you’ll harvest butternut squash by late summer. 

Expect some variation as different environmental conditions can speed up or slow down crop production. 

Frost is a huge indicator of when it is time to remove butternuts from the vine. Even if they’re unripe the day before the first frost, you’ll need to remove them to prevent frost damage. That first frost will cause damage to your fruits and ruin your harvest.

Keep your ear to the ground when it comes to weather conditions. Butternut squash can still be eaten even if it’s unripe, and you’ll save seed for next season in the process.

Stem

Examine the stem of the squash vine. When the butternut squash is ripe, the tips of the stems dry and turn brown. This is because the vine no longer needs to feed nutrients to the fruit, and the squash is ready for picking.

By cutting off nutrients to the fruit, your winter squash vines can produce more for harvesting down the line. 

Skin and Rind

Check the rind to tell if butternut squash is ready for harvesting. If you’re able to pierce the skin with a fingernail, it’s not time yet. If the rind doesn’t yield to your finger, you likely have a ripe squash on the vine. Couple that with a browning stem, and you know it’s time to harvest your butternut squash. 

Color

Ripe butternut squash is completely tan. That means one color of tan all around the fruit. This refers to the most common butternut squash varieties. Green on these crops is an indication it’s unripe. 

Color may be a difficult mode of detecting ripeness in winter squash varieties that are striped. Use this in conjunction with other signs if you are growing less common varieties. 

Weight

Weight is another way to tell if your squashes are ready to be harvested. Butternuts typically weigh two to three pounds. If you’re growing a different variety other than typical butternut, check the seed packet to see if the squash should be larger or smaller. Just as color can vary, it’s best to use this method to check in conjunction with other indications. 

Overall, if you notice butternuts have stopped growing, it’s time. Keep an eye on them throughout the growth period and you’ll have a good idea of when harvests should occur. 

How To Harvest Butternut Squash

It’s important to harvest butternut squash carefully, as improper harvests damage the rest of the plant and the butternut you took care of for so long. Use garden shears to clip the stem tips at about one to five inches from the top of the mature fruit. At least two inches is necessary. 

Why Keep the Stem?

Squashes without a stem do not store for very long and should be consumed immediately. Sometimes squashes fall from the vine—this is normal. Keep an eye out for these, and cook them up as soon as you can. 

Winter squash like butternuts rely on a healthy bit of stem at the top to keep out different bacteria that causes mold and rot. Even a stem that is too short won’t store well sometimes. Try to keep at least a few inches of stem on winter squash, butternut especially. 

When you are harvesting butternut squash, look out for other fruit that has brown bruises, cuts, nicks, and damage. Harvest these and consume them as quickly as possible. 

Rot occurs in damaged butternut squash, so remove them to prevent crop loss. Harvested tan and early, unripe butternut squash are excellent when used in different dishes. No need to fret if you have to use unripe butternuts in cooking. 

Give the Vines Some Space

Don’t harvest butternut squash too close to the vines, because this can damage the rest of the plant. If you accidentally damage the vines, it is possible to prune off the damaged area. Simply leave tips a few inches from each of the fruit growing there. 

To keep production going, try to leave at least three fruits behind on the vine unless they absolutely need to be harvested. 

Curing Butternut Squash

After you’ve harvested ripe butternut squash, cure them for storage. The curing process allows fruits to be stored for longer periods. Curing hardens butternut squash skin even more and slows respiration which causes rot. 

Curing winter squashes also dries the skin and protects the fruit’s inner flesh. Cured winter squash (butternut included) also has a sweet and more pleasing flavor than uncured butternuts. 

If you have damaged squash that sat on wet soil for too long, sort these out of your harvest. They can’t be cured and should be cleaned and used right away. Save the seed in these for next year. Then tend to the other squashes by carrying out the curing process. 

How to Cure

Begin by wiping the surface of your squash skin with a dry cloth to remove any dirt that remains. This reduces the possibility of bacteria or fungal pathogens that can attack the rind. Try to keep the squash as dry as possible throughout the entire process from harvest to storage. 

It is possible to cure slightly unripe, green squash, although it’s better to keep the drying process to mature fruits. However, if the first frost looms, it’s best to harvest all butternut squash on the vine. Harvesting before the first frost is absolutely essential to save your butternuts from frost damage. 

The right temperature and humidity are key for drying and storing winter squash like butternuts. Provide a space for ripe squashes that is relatively cool at 70 to 85°F (21-29°C) with humidity at 80 to 85 percent. 

Make sure there is good air circulation around the mature, ripe squashes by curing them on a rack. As you cure them, give them a quarter turn daily to properly harden the rind. 

If you don’t have an area with the proper humidity and temperature, set up one in a cupboard with a space heater. Keep in mind the space heater should have an exact thermostat on it. If it gets too warm the squash cell structure will change. Check the squash frequently. 

Timing

Wait a week or two to remove the squashes for storage. By drying butternut squash you ensure the stem is completely hardened, preventing bacterial growth.

When your mature winter squash is drying, if you notice any brown spots on the rind, promptly remove them from the area and consume them after removing the damage with a knife. Brown spots on squash are signs of the potential for bacterial growth. 

Do not cure winter squash in an area where other fruits are ripening. Gasses released from other fruits in the ripening process can damage winter squash like butternuts. These gasses cause forced respiration. 

How To Store Butternut Squash

After curing, there are many ways to store butternut squash. The methods you choose will determine how long your harvest lasts.

Refrigerator

Store butternut squash in a refrigerator or cool cellar at about 40 to 50°F (4-10°C). Stack winter squash no more than two deep on a rack that provides proper air circulation. Winter squash that is properly cured and stored in conditions such as these will last up to six months. 

Room Temperature

You may also store butternut squash on a rack at room temperature. If you don’t have the storage to keep them in a cooler area, no problem. They’ll keep for up to three months this way. 

Freezer

If you’d like to keep your harvested butternut squash for even longer, you can freeze them. Follow these steps:

• Peel the squash skin off.
• Cut it in half.
• Remove the seeds to clean and store them for future squash gardening.
• Dice the squash into one-inch pieces. 
• Place them in an airtight glass container or plastic bag and store them in the freezer for up to 8 months. Alternatively, you can store diced squash in the fridge for up to one week. 

If you’d like to, blend the diced raw squash into a puree. Pureed squash will keep in the fridge for 7 to 10 days. In the freezer, it will keep for 6 months. 

Dehydrating

Dice squash just as you would for the freezer, and dehydrate them at 145°F (63°C) for two hours. Then reduce heat to 110°F (43°C) for eight to ten hours. Dehydrated squash keeps in an airtight container for up to two years. 

Freeze-Drying

If you think that’s a long time, consider freeze-drying harvested butternut squash. This is the best way to preserve it long-term, green or ripe. 

Besides the long-term shelf life, you’ll have dried pieces that are very sweet due to condensed sugars that concentrate in the drying process. And this sweet diced goodness will keep for up to 25 years! 

To dry squash in this way, follow the same preparation process you would for freezing. Then place diced or pureed squash on a tray and set it in the freeze dryer until the sensor detects adequate dryness. 

Store the pieces or puree dust in an airtight container like a mason jar. This gives you butternuts in summer, fall, winter, and spring for many years to come. 

Frequently Asked Questions