Will Butternut Squash Ripen Off the Vine?

Because butternut squash is so easy to grow, many people are growing this squash in their backyard. This is a vegetable that is full of nutrients and that is delicious if you are preparing it correctly. And, if it is ripening correctly.

It is a problem that many have. Knowing if their butternuts will ripen off the vine. Sometimes you might have picked one that isn’t ripe yet, or because of frost coming early, you need to harvest all the butternuts of the vines. But, will it ripen once it isn’t on the vine anymore. This is everything you need to know about butternuts squash and knowing about ripening it off the vine.

Will Butternut Squash Ripen Off the Vine?

The first thing that you need to know is if the butternut squash will ripen off the vine? Or, if you can just as well throw the unripe butternuts away when you picked it before it was ripened correctly.

The good news is that butternut will ripen off the vine. The bad news is that it needs to have matured to a certain degree before you can be sure that it will ripen further, off the vine. This is the hardest part. Knowing if the butternut has ripened enough on the vine for picking. There are ways on how you can make sure that the butternut is ripening further, but you also need to know that there is some info to consider. 

How to Make Sure That You Have the Best Chance of Ripening the Squash

This is essential to remember. If you are harvesting a butternut squash that doesn’t even have time to change color, or that doesn’t have grown to full size, then you will have a hard time ripening it. The butternut needed to start discoloring and start to ripen before you can pick in from the vine and ripen it further. 

You should also make sure that you are storing it correctly. Making sure that it is stored in a dark room, that is hot enough for it to ripen, but not to rot. And, you need to remember that you should cut the butternut stem too close. It needs to have at least 2cm to 5cm of stem on the butternut to mature some more. 

Knowing That the Squash is Ready to Be Harvested

If you don’t want to have problems getting your butternut ripe off the vine, you need to leave it on the vine until it is completely ripe. And, therefore you need to know how ripe butternut looks. 

The first thing that you need to look for when you want to harvest your butternuts, is to look at the color. It needs to be a tan color, with no visible signs of green. Even the smallest green line might be an indication that the butternut isn’t ripe enough yet. You should also make sure that the skin is hard. That if you are pressing your fingernail into the skin that it won’t make a mark in the skin.

The other thing that you need to make sure about, is the stem of the butternut. If the stem is brown and dried out, then the butternut is ready to be harvest as well. Normally the vine will start to dry and turn brown as well. The longer you are leaving your butternut on the vine, the better the butternut will taste. 

Storing and Using Squash That’s Still Ripening

When you made the mistake of harvesting the butternut that isn’t ripe yet, there is a couple of things that you need to remember. The first thing that you always need to do, is to cut the stem of the butternut long. The longer it is, the better the change of getting ripe butternut after a while. 

You should make sure that you are washing the butternut before storing it. To make sure that there isn’t any mold or bacteria on the butternut during the ripening process. The most important thing to remember is to lay the butternuts in a warm, sunny spot where it can ripen. Turning the butternut regularly so that both sides are getting sunlight. It is also important to keep them away from any other fruit and vegetables during the maturing process. Remember that these butternuts that are ripening off the vine are the ones that you need to consume first.

Conclusion

Will butternut squash ripen off the vine? In certain circumstances yes. However, you need to make sure that you know how to ripen it successfully of the vine. This isn’t something that will ripen itself. You need to make sure that it is stored in a warm, sunny place. And, that it was cut with a long stem. The only problem is that the butternuts that have to ripen off the vine don’t taste as delicious as those that had enough time to get ripe on the vine.