Acorn squash is known as one of the most popular pumpkins that people are using. It is easy to grow and taste great. This is the squash that most people prefer when it comes to enjoying vegetables.
Planting the acorn squash is the easy part.
This is a vegetable that is known to harden. It is easy to plant and grow without any problems.
The only problem that many people have, is about how to pick the acorn squash, and how to know that these pumpkins are ready to be harvested and to use.
With this guide, we are introducing the acorn squash to you and making sure that you know exactly when your squash is ready to be picked and enjoyed.
Get to Know Your Acorn Squash
Because of the different types of squash and pumpkin that one can find, not everyone is familiar with the acorn squash.
This is the squash that has the shape of an acorn. Ripe acorn squash has a hard skin, is deep green, with some orange spots.
When you plant acorn squash, the small squash will start as a pale-green and yellow pumpkin. As the squash grows and ripens it will start to become darker green, with orange.
Unlike other vegetables that are getting rotten after it ripens, the acorn squash can be stored for months after harvesting. If you are harvesting and storing it correctly.
When is the Acorn Squash Ready to Be Picked?
This is the question that everyone is asking. When is the acorn squash ready to be picked? When do you know that the squash is going to taste great, is ripe and ready to be harvested?
Firstly, you look at the color of the acorn squash.
As we said before, a ripe squash is deep-green with some orange spots. The skin of the acorn squash will be hard. If you put your fingernail in the skin, it will not damage the skin or the squash.
Many experts are saying that the first squash will be ready in about 80 to 100 days after you planted the seeds.
Then, you can look at the plant itself.
If the plant is brown and start to die, then you know that the acorn squash is ready to be harvested.
The stems of the acorn squash are starting to dry out and become grey instead of the green of a new plant. The skin is extremely hard and can’t be damaged easily.
Harvesting Acorn Squash Correctly
Even if you know how a ripe acorn squash looks, and know when you can pick it, you still need to know how to harvest it correctly.
If this is the first time that you ever have planted acorn squash, you might not realize that there are thorns on the stem of the squash.
So, you need to make sure that you are wearing gloves when picking your squash.
Next, you need to make sure that you are cutting the stem of the squash correctly. Using a sharp knife, you need to cut it off a couple of inches from the squash.
If you cut the stem off too short, the squash won’t be able to last a couple of months, and it will rot.
When You Aren’t Going to Eat Your Acorn Squash Immediately
It does happen that you are getting a lot of acorn squashes from one plant. Meaning that you might have too many to eat in one go. This isn’t a problem. It can last for a couple of months if you are storing it correctly.
You can leave it on the plant and in the field for a couple of weeks. Just make sure that it doesn’t get frost and that bugs don’t get into the pumpkin.
Or, you can store it in a dry place. But, remember not to put it on top of each other. Rather put it next to each other, with the stems at the top.
Keep in mind that the moment that you cut the acorn squash from the plant; it will not ripen anymore. Even if you leave it for months before using it.
It is always better to make sure that you are leaving it in the field, on the plant until you are sure that the squash is ripe and ready to be used.
The same goes for when you are buying acorn squash in-store. It will not get ripper at home.
You need to make sure that you are purchasing a squash that is already ripe and where the skin is hard.
Conclusion
This is everything you need to know about acorn squash, planting, and harvesting them.
Making sure that your first harvest of the squash is going to be successful.
If you are doing everything correctly, you will have a couple of months of acorn squash that you and your family can enjoy. Until it is time for planting them again.
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