If you like eating acorn squashes, then grow them in your garden and harvest when they’re ripe. Here are a few tips on how to tell if acorn squash is ripe.
The acorn squash is a delicious vegetable that you can make a lot of dishes out of. The great thing is that you can grow them in your garden.
If you grow them in your garden, at least you’ll know that they’re completely fresh. But one of the main things that you need to know about is how to tell if your acorn squash is ripe already. After all, an unripe acorn squash isn’t nice to eat.
Luckily, we have a few tips that can help you out.
Contents
How To Tell If Acorn Squash Is Ripe And Ready To Harvest?
Know When It Is Unripe
In order to know how to tell when acorn squash is ripe, you must first know when it is unripe. Now, an acorn squash usually reaches its biggest size after the squash has already set.
But take note that even though it has already reached its full size, it is not necessarily ripe. At this stage, it is still attached to its vine wherein it will absorb nutrients. But at this stage, does acorn squash ripen after being picked?
Well, yes it does.
That’s why you have to store it properly so that it ripens well. However, picking it out too early will make it not have a nice flavor. It will also be vulnerable to rotting early. That’s why you need to make sure that the acorn squash has to be picked out at the right time.
Take Note Of When It Blossoms
Now that you know how to spot an unripe acorn squash, let’s now determine how to count until it reaches its optimal ripeness.
First of all, take note of the when the squash begins to form at the blossom’s base. From here, just count around 55 days. After 55 days, you’ll notice that the fruit will become ripe. So at this point, you just need to watch out for some signs.
Take a look at them next:
Watch For The Plant Dying
The first sign of a ripe acorn squash is the dying vine. If ever the plants that are attached to the fruit begin to wither and shrink, then it simply means that the squash will eventually be ripe for the picking.
However, this isn’t the only sign of an acorn squash ripening. You also need to use other signs as confirmation for your acorn squash.
Feel The Rind Texture
Another thing to watch out for is the squash’s rind. A ripe squash will not have a glossy rind. The rind will usually be glossy when it is still attached to a strong vine. But once the vine withers, then gradually, the rind won’t be as shiny.
At the same time, it will be harder than it was when it was unripe. So, try to dent it a bit. If it doesn’t get dented easily, then it is most likely already ripe.
Observe Change In Color
A change in color is another telltale sign of ripeness and is one of the most effective signs. If it has a few yellow or orange patches, then that is a sign of ripeness.
Now, do take note that if ever it becomes too orange (unless you planned to plant the orange variety), then it is probably overripe. From there, you can already pick it out and eat them.
Look Out For Bad Acorn Squashes
While on the pursuit of picking out your acorn squash at the right time, you may at times let the acorn squash ripen for too long. Once it ripens beyond its overripe stage, it’ll eventually go bad. And if it does, then it’s best to throw it away and pick out another one. For this situation, here’s a tip on how to know if an acorn squash is bad.
Feel the acorn squash for any soft spots. If there are spots that you can squish with a finger, then it is most likely bad already. You may also want to throw away your acorn squash at the sight of molds or rotting parts.
Conclusion
And those are the best ways on how to tell whether acorn squash is ripe. If you are a gardener who wants to grow fresh squash in your garden, you need to know when to pick fruit at the right time. If you don’t harvest it while it is ripe, you’ll get substandard tasting squashes.
So, make sure to follow these tips so you can make the best acorn squash dishes.
Recommended Reading:
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