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+--- Thread: Curing kabocha squash? (/showthread.php?tid=10326)
Curing kabocha squash? - mangobingo - 05-31-2012
So I've got what I think are a load of kabocha squash vines growing out of the compost, and six lovely big squash now about ready to harvest. I've read that you're supposed to "cure" this kind of squash by keeping it warm and dry for a few weeks and then in a cool place. Down here near sea level in Puna where it's kind of warm and wet most of the time, I'm not sure how you do that. Any advice? Do you bother with curing your pumpkins or just take them off the vine and cook them?
RE: Curing kabocha squash? - csgray - 06-02-2012
I don't know specifically about Kabocha but most squashes of that type get more flavor and sweeter with time, a mediocre squash at harvest time will be delicious in about 6-8 weeks. The trick is how to prevent them from molding while curing, I know some people wipe them down with diluted bleach solution before storing.
Carol
RE: Curing kabocha squash? - OpenD - 06-02-2012
From the netz:
"When kabocha is just harvested, it is still growing. Therefore, unlike other vegetables and fruits, freshness is not as important. It should be fully matured first, in order to become flavorful. First, kabocha is ripened in a warm place (77 °F) for 13 days, during which some of the starch converts to sugar content.
Then it is transferred to a cool place (50 °F) and stored for about a month in order to increase its carbohydrate content. In this way the just-harvested, dry, bland-tasting kabocha is transformed into smooth, sweet kabocha. Fully ripened, succulent kabocha will have reddish-yellow flesh and a hard skin with a dry, corky stem. It reaches the peak of ripeness about 1.5–3 months after it is harvested."
RE: Curing kabocha squash? - mangobingo - 06-02-2012
Right, that's the advice I'd seen. Just not sure how to achieve those temperatures and humidities in practice. I'll maybe just leave them on the vine for a while longer and then let them sit in the kitchen for a bit.