Skip to main content

What to do with all the winter squash from your fall harvest

Too many squash? Here's how to store and use them!

Fall is a favorite time of the year for many of us, especially for gardeners who love fall garden harvests. There are many fruits and vegetables that are harvested in the fall, and squash is no exception!

Despite coming in a wide range of sizes and shapes, most squash can be stored and eaten in the same way, so no matter what kind of squash you're growing we have helpful tips for you to figure out what to do with winter squash. It’s time to pull out your sweaters, order a pumpkin drink at the cafe, harvest your delicious squash, and get cooking.

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

45 minutes

What You Need

  • Knife

  • Immersion blender

  • Food dehydrator

  • Sealable, freezer-safe bag or container

A pile of butternut squash with one cut in half to expose the inside of the squash

How to tell if a winter squash is ready

Before we get into preparing these amazing veggies, let’s talk about how you’ll know when they’re ready to harvest. All the suggestions and recipes below require a ripe and ready winter squash, so you’ll want to be sure you know how to identify one. If you pick a winter squash too early, it will be tough, bitter, and unpleasant to consume.

Step 1: Check the seed packet to see how many “days to maturity” that specific variety needs.

If it’s close to that amount of days, you’re probably close to ready.

Step 2: Keep an eye on the color of your squash.

The rind of the winter squash will turn to its “mature” coloring when it’s ripe and ready. This will be different for each type, so be sure to check the seed packet or do a quick internet search.

Step 3: Tap your fingers against the squash, listening for a hollow sound.

If it sounds hollow, then it's ripe. If the sound is thick and muffled, it may need a little more time.

Step 4: Gently press your fingernail into the rind of the squash.

If the rind is soft and easily marked, then the squash is not yet ripe. If the rind is hard, then it's ready to harvest.

Squash cut in half

Cook and bake with winter squash

You’ve successfully grown some amazing winter squashes, you’ve now learned how to know when they are ready, and you’re itching to get to cook and eat these great foods. Here are some of the best ways to cook and enjoy winter squash.

Roast your winter squash by chopping them into squares and place them in the oven. You can add fresh rosemary and thyme and some salt and pepper. It makes a fantastic side to chuck roast, baked ham, or roasted chicken. You can even use it as a bed for a kale salad or a black bean bowl. Just be sure to remove the thick skin before roasting.

To stuff your squash, take one of those beautifully ripe and ready winter squashes and cut it right in half. The thick skin might make this difficult, but with a sharp knife and careful slicing, you’ll be left with two halves that you can scoop out and stuff with almost anything you want. For example, you can make stuffed squash taco bowls or Italian-inspired stuffed squash with ground beef and parmesan.

Making spaghetti squash is probably one of the most popular ways people like to use up their squash. It’s easy, and it’s a healthy alternative to pasta. All you have to do is take a ripe squash, cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, then bake it for about 30 to 45 minutes. After it’s cooled off a bit, you’ll take a fork and “shred” the inside of the squash. You’ll then have tender squash “noodles” that you can serve in place of pasta in almost any dish.

Squash soup is another popular way to enjoy winter squash. It’s somewhat sweet, but it can be delicious with some Thai sauce and freshly baked bread. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you might want to invest in one if you plan on making a lot of squash soup.

Squash can also be baked into pies. The traditional pumpkin that you see everywhere during this time of year is a type of winter squash that can be eaten in similar ways. However, some of the most popular ways to enjoy pumpkins and winter squashes are in pies, muffins, and breads. Of course, we’ve all heard of pumpkin pie, muffins, and breads, but you might not have known that you can easily substitute most winter squashes instead of the pumpkin and still end up with a tasty treat.

If you enjoy mashed sweet potato or sweet potato casserole, you’ll probably love mashed winter squash. It can be a healthy side to any winter meal, or add some brown sugar and butter for a yummy after-dinner treat.

Pumpkin pie

Preserving winter squash

You can sometimes be left with too much squash after a big harvest, and even after all those yummy recipes above, you might wonder how you can preserve it to enjoy later in the year. Unfortunately, you can’t preserve squash like you can other veggies in your garden. Canning isn’t an option, but here are a few ways you can make your winter squash last longer.

You can store squash whole for up to three months. If you want your squash to last longer, though, you'll need to freeze or dehydrate it. Dehydrating is easy, simply cut your squash and add it to your food dehydrator. Freezing is a little more complicated. Here's what to do:

Step 1: Cut your squash into chunks, chips, or strips.

Shape and size don't need to follow an exact rule, but they should be roughly the same size to ensure even cooking.

Step 2: Steam, boil, or bake the squash until they are soft.

Step 3: Blend the cooked squash into a puree and pour it into a sealable bag or container.

Step 4: Add the puree to your freezer.

You can thaw the puree to use, or add frozen puree to smoothies for a cool and refreshing drink.

After you’ve taken your Instagram-worthy photos of your beautiful fall harvest, try out some of these fantastic ways to cook, bake, mash, stuff, soup, spaghetti, and preserve these awesome veggies.

Editors' Recommendations

The best vegetables to plant in November
Tips on which vegetables to grow when the temperatures drop
Pumpkin on a vine

Some vegetables are more suited to be grown in cooler months than others. It all depends on their growing conditions and the kind of environment they prefer. When you’re planting vegetables during winter, the chances are you’re planting them in an insular setting — be it in a greenhouse or in your home. These are a few ideal vegetables to plant in November, but there are many others beyond them if these aren’t up your alley.

Rhubarb
Growing rhubarb in containers during the winter is possible, so long as you have a large enough pot to accommodate the plant. With rhubarb, depth is more important than width (depending on how many you want per pot) because of its large root system. You want to make sure you select pots or containers that are sturdy, have good drainage, and are at least twenty inches deep. To the same effect, the soil should be designed for good draining to avoid drowning or rotting the plant. A healthy rhubarb could live and produce for up to ten years if you play your hand right.

Read more
What’s in season at the farmers market this November
Here's what veggies to look for at the November farmers market
Farmers market

The weather has cooled down. You head out on those chilly Saturday mornings and notice that the stock at your favorite local farmers market is dwindling. The tomatoes aren't as plentiful and the berry selection is kind of paltry. However, while the growing season might be winding down, that doesn't mean there aren't still plenty of crops and delicious foods you can find at your local market. We'll discuss what's in season, what you should look for, and what to do with these colder-weather crops.

The benefits of eating seasonally
The zucchini crop at the farmers market might be thinning, but you'll find all sorts of produce at the grocery store. So why continue to go to a farmers market when you can get tomatoes year-round? There are several reasons why eating seasonally is better for you, but one of the biggest reasons is supporting smaller and more local growers. We all know it's best to shop local or go out of our way to help "the little guy," which is also true when buying food for your family. So not only are you investing in the local economy, but you're also providing a living for a family doing something that they love.

Read more
7 ways to reuse your Halloween pumpkin so it doesn’t go to waste
From cooking to composting: Creative ways to put your pumpkins to use
Jack-o'-lanterns

Nothing can get you into the fall spirit liking going to your local farm and picking pumpkins. Adults love it, kids love it, and the farms love it, too! Unfortunately, what we don't love is all the waste that happens once those lovely pumpkins aren't needed as decoration anymore. Sadly, about 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins end up in landfills across the United States. That's an incredible amount of waste that could be used in so many ways, including food.

While pumpkins are only a tiny percentage of the national food waste crisis, you can do your part to reduce this waste by finding ways to reuse Halloween pumpkins instead of letting them rot in a landfill. So this year, instead of wasting your pumpkins, consider one of these ways you can reuse your jack-o'-lanterns.

Read more