How to Identify Ripe Winter Squash
Winter squash comes in many varieties. Pumpkin, acorn squash and spaghetti squash are a few selections that fit in the winter squash group. The harvest period for winter squash is late fall, September to October. Make sure that your squash is ripe and ready for harvest before you cut the stems to get the best quality from the finished product. Each form of winter squash exhibits similar signs when it is ripe enough to pick. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Check the color of the outer skin of the squash. In the immature stages, your squash will be light in color, regardless of the actual color scheme of your squash. The skin color darkens to either a yellow, orange or similar color when the squash is ready to harvest.
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Test the condition of the outer skin. Young squash has a soft outer skin that you can easily puncture. The skin toughens and is hard to pierce when the squash is ripe.
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Lift the squash. A ripe squash will seem heavy and full, indicating that the meat inside is moist and ripe.
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