Photo Article from the Welsh Hovel – harvesting and ripening the Squash

We have already enjoyed a good few meals of Autumn Squash here at the Welsh Hovel but the plants have a large yield this year and so I have now taken off all of those squashes that had ripened through to orange to try and store them. A few yellower squashes I have left on the plant and we should eat them in the coming weeks.

In theory I can now pick, given that the skin is hard enough to resist my fingernail. But, and I am learning as I go on the internet, what I have picked now needs about ten days outdoors to fully ripen so they have been laid on planks and protected by the cloches that, earlier this year, housed the chilies and peppers.

In ten days time I am told I can bring them inside to store on the food shed where the onions are currently drying and they should remain good to use right up until Christmas.