Squash and Pumpkins, Natures Easy Storable Food

Certain types of squash and Pumpkins can be stored all winter if stored correctly. I read you must let them sit out in the fields to cure, that means the skin must harden in the sun. Before you bring them to store for the winter you must wipe them down with a vinegar and water rinse and let dry completely. This will prevent rotting caused by bacteria, mold, and fungus. When you store them, the storage area must be dark, dry, cool, and the squash or pumpkins must not touch anything else. I put cardboard down in our storage room and check them once a week for mold. If one starts looking moldy I use it immediately. Air must be able to circulate and prevent moisture from building up, which will cause rot. The best squash and pumpkins from my experience are Sugar Baby Pumpkins, Hubbard Squash, Butter Nuts, Spaghetti Squash, Jarrahdale Pumpkin, Banana Squash, and Sweet Meat.

I use squash for soup, mashed with sauce or butter, makes a good alternative to flour for a thickener in soups and sauces, in quick breads to moisten, and cookies.

Squash and pumpkin are subject to a variety of diseases and pests. However, if you do your prep work in the spring and fall, you can cut down on mold damage and pest during the growing season. I turn my chickens loose in the fall to clear out weeds, work the dirt up, and eat beetle larva that overwinter under debris from dead leaves and plants. The chickens also fertilize the ground as they go, giving flora and fauna that feed the roots of the plants minerals and other nutrients they need to build strong colonies. I also let the chickens free range outside the garden fences as well, keeping pests out of the permitter of the garden.

The ground is much like our gut, plants need bacteria and fungus to break down matter so they can properly absorb the nutrients they need to build a strong immune system. Pesticides and herbicides sterilize the dirt, glyphosate has been patented to kill parasites with the same shikimate pathways as soil bacteria leaving plants vulnerable to disease. Our gut bacteria also has the same shikimate pathways. Glyphosate formulations and their use for the inhibition of 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase, Folate Production by Probiotic Bacteria

2014 Harvest, Turban Squash

Squash and Pumpkins cleaned and rinsed with vinegar solution drying in the sun

I had an extra bedroom I turned into a storage area. I kept my grain, rice, and beans in insect proof storage barrels. I learned to hand mill grain, that's another story I'll be telling soon.

I shared all my stored garden produce through the winter with my chickens. They love all the scraps and leftovers from our garden. Most of the squash went for winter chicken feed, they go crazy over the seeds. I saved the best pumpkin and squash seeds for next years garden and ate the left over seeds as treats. You can boil pumpkin and squash seeds for 20 minutes, strain, mix with butter and some salt, and bake till crisp in a 350 degree oven. Usually takes less than 30 minutes for a lightly salted buttery crunchy treat.