Butternut Squash ready?

Hi
My first time growing squash. I have 2 huge plants that have 22 squash between them - I now know I should have reduced the number, but a bit late now.
I see that the stems of the all the fruits are beginning to turn yellow. Generally the plants are still growing like crazy with lots of new green leaves and still setting more fruits that I remove.
A couple or 3 questions I'd appreciate some help with-
Does the yellowing stems indicate they're ready for harvest?
If so what should I do with them?
Do I still need to feed them weekly?

 

Great looking crop.

I'm not a butternut squasher myself, so shouldn't really comment, but cant help thinking you could try one first to see how it is, they look ripe to me, but I think they will stay usable for a fair time.

 

I think with butternut you are supposed to harvest and then leave for a while because the sugars develop - I think it was at least a month. Sorry I can't remember where I read it. But it seemed to work when I grew them - I left them for that period, and they were pretty good when finally cooked

 

You can tell when they're ready to cut by the colour. They change from pale straw colour to a deeper pale orange/yellow. Yours look perfect @Pete8. Cut them with the stalk intact. As Caroline says, leave them to ripen and develop somewhere dry and sunny if possible before storing them. They should keep all winter!

 

Great! Thank you all so much for your helpful advice.
The plants are so huge! I'm going to erect a strong arch and try growing them over that next year.
I'll cut them in a few days then leave on the g/house staging for a few weeks then store.
Looks like I'll be trying most of the butternut squash recipes over the winter months

Happy gardening (even though it's pouring down here atm - but much needed)
Pete

 

Maybe I'll have to have some more windowsill's put in
The humidity did cross my mind and the weather looks set to be quite miserable for a while, so I'll decorate my windowsills with squash. I can probably get all of them on my bedroom windowsill which faces south and will have to move them if we get a lot of sun - don't want them auto-roasting! Then I'll hang them in my cool dark garage and ponder what to do with them all - just as well I like butternut squash.
Thanks again
Pete

 

I harvested the squash 1 month ago and left them on the g/h staging to harden off.
They're tucked away in the garage now.
Really pleased with my first go with squash - I wasn't expecting so much from 2 plants
As to what I'm going to do with 17 squash - I'm not really sure - I usually buy 1 or 2 per year.
Guess I'll have to develop a taste for roast butternut squash soup

 

@Pete8 well done you .... Winter soup it is then

 

Thanks Bee!
Now the season of 'what shall I have with tomatoes for dinner tonight?' is coming to a close, it'll be 'what shall I have with squash for dinner tonight?' for the foreseeable.. I've got so much kale as well (and celeriac) i'll have to be inventive and combine them...maybe

 

It's amazing how often that happens. There I am writing a post about making butternut squash soup only to find a similar post comes up in a different section. I guess you can call that serendipity (sort of).

I love butternut squash and butternut squash soup. Call it pumpkin soup. Nobody would know the difference. I used to be put off by squash because it's so hard to peel. Now instead of peeling it I cook it whole. That way the skin just falls off and the flesh is soft and manageable. I'm not sure I could eat 17 though. I guess that's the trouble with growing your own.

I once thought about mixing celeriac with mashed potato. It wasn't celeriac season so I couldn't do it.

G.

 

What a coincidence!
I've not made squash soup before, only used it as part of a veg soup.
I'll label some pumpkin soup, some squash soup and some butternut soup - then I'll have a choice of 3 varieties

I've not tried celeriac mash, but I do love fennel and celeriac soup.
I did buy Florence fennel seed to grow as well this year, but read that the plant emits something that causes surrounding plants to be stunted, so I didn't plant them.
I counted 22 celeriac yesterday about ready for harvest - that's gonna be a lot of soup!
So along with my 17 squash I'm going to be well-souped-up this winter!

 

I have 22 squash so far and 3 hopefuls still on the plants. So...have started eating them already as a lot to get through. My favourite, because it's sooooo easy, is to put sloosh of olive oil in dish in oven to heat up as oven does. While heating, cut squash into just under 2cm sized chunks - with skin on - then cut up selection from...onion, pepper, carrot, sweet potato, courgette,...whatever. When oven's at temperature (200C) put vegs in hot oil & roast in oven for about 20 min. Then put a pork ckop or chicken portion on the top and roast for around 25 min more. Roast dinner :-)

 

Sounds delish JJ, thanks! - will be having a go at that