I don't have a root celler, is there a good way to keep squash without one?

-- julie gordon (mjgordon@eznet.net), August 23, 2001

Answers

We have stored ours (Winter Squash)in the basement, on a shelf, in an area that was 50-60 degrees. They usually would last until about the first of the year, if we didn't eat them all by them. They store better if a little bit of the stem remains attached. Make sure they are dry, and have no dirt on them before they are stored. Check them from time to time to see if any have gone bad. That could ruin more if they are not removed. Good luck and good eatin.

-- Bob in WI (bjwick@hotmail.com), August 23, 2001.

Washing in a mild bleach solution helps kill the bacteria that promotes spoilage. A cool closet in a room away from the heat source can work if you don't have a basement.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), August 23, 2001.

I kept some on a shelf last year for a few months, no basement or cellar. Good advice to check them periodically for spoilage, and best if they do not touch. I put newspaper under mine to facilitate clean up of the bad ones.... But to be honest, I got more use out of the ones I went ahead and baked and pressure canned. They were ready when I wanted them. I used them mostly in bread, and didn't use the whole squash at once.

-- mary (marylgarcia@aol.com), August 23, 2001.

Heck, I usually just kick mine under the kitchen table. They seem to do just fine there. :) I think the key to storing them is to make sure they have that one week to ten day cure in the sun after picking them to harden their skins up. If they get that they keep pretty well anywhere. Don't keep them in a place where mice can get at them, though. Those little twerps can go after them pretty fast for the seeds inside.

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@nospammail.com), August 23, 2001.

Heck, I've got a Waltham butternut that's sitting in an open basket in my kitchen that's been there for over a year now here in North Florida that still hasn't spoiled. After this long there's not a lot of flesh left inside but it hasn't spoiled.

Make sure they're well cured, leave some stem on and only store the ones with no nicks or cuts and most hard squashes will store just fine without a lot of special care.

={(Oak)-

-- Live Oak (oneliveoak@yahoo.com), August 23, 2001.

My squash keep in a cool cupboard in the kitchen. I do same as above, storing them separated, on newspaper, but I wipe them down with a soft cloth and a bit of vegetable oil before I put them away. I still have them in March.

-- terri in ns (terri@tallships.ca), August 23, 2001.

Cool, as in just above freezing, is the best answer. I have a room in the barn with heat that I keep at 40 degrees. That's where the squash goes. However, the variety of squash also factors in. One variety, Tetsukabuto (unfortunately a hybrid), available from Pinetree Seeds, has consistently remained viable as long as a year. (Not every one, but many). (We're in Maine!)

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), August 23, 2001.

I don't have a lot of storage space either, so I dry mine. I can fit a hubbard squash in a quart jar, no problem. I use them in soups mostly, but they can be reconstituted for bread, etc. also.

-- Sheryl in ME (radams@sacoriver.net), August 23, 2001.

If, as here in Washington, you don't have sun to cure your squashes, you can cure them in a warm spot near the woodstove.

-- Laura Jensen (lrjensen@nwlink.com), August 25, 2001.