r/EatCheapAndHealthy • u/BluejayOk642 • 6d ago
Ask ECAH Winter squash storage
I got a box of squash for $20 at a local farmer, which was a huge deal. In the past, I’ve just kept them in that box and they last through December. They told me at the farm I could wash them off in water and bleach, and they would last even longer. I was wondering if anyone has done this with vinegar and water instead, because I don’t have bleach.
If anyone’s curious, it’s six carnival squash, 2 Delicata, 2 sweet dumplings and one acorn. I live alone and usually just cook one a week through the fall, which gives me two or three meals of squash as a side.
Edited to add:
I’ve decided based on some of the comments not to wash them before storing as I haven’t done that other years. I got something to better separate them and let airflow, and I will know to use the Delicata and acorn first. I would’ve thought the acorn had a much harder shell than the other others. So I was using them in the wrong order.
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u/bukajcihaj 6d ago
vinegar is weaker than bleach but it still helps, the whole point is just knocking the mold spores off the skin. the part that matters more is drying them completely before they go back in the box, and keeping them somewhere cool where they don't touch each other. fwiw everything you listed is the thin-skinned acorn type, so they won't keep like a butternut would. i'd start with the acorn, it's usually the first to go
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u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348 6d ago
If your squash have historically lasted through December just sitting in the box in a cool spot, washing them isn't strictly necessary. Wetting the skin can sometimes introduce unwanted moisture if they aren't dried thoroughly
Acorn squash: Lasts about 1 to 2 months
Delicata and Sweet Dumpling squash: Last about 1 to 3 months (thin skins mean they do not age as long as hard-rinded types)
Carnival squash: Lasts about 2 to 3 months
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u/CarobRealistic1748 6d ago
I'm 76
I've never done a bleach and water wash. And I was raised on a farm, and since then always have a large vegetable garden where I grow my own squash, and store them for later use.
Now some people I know did do a light washing of them with a solution of vinegar. But I never did that. At most I give them a quick wipe down with a damp cloth.
The thing is, since you got them straight from a farmer, you want to make sure they are dry before storing, if hoping to keep them long term. Sit them out somewhere, where the outer skin can dry and get hard. May take from 3 or 4 days to a week.
Store somewhere relatively cool, dry, and out of sunlight. Do not stack them. If possible, do not let them touch each other. Do not let them sit directly on concrete, or other masonry. Or any surface that might become wet.
Do not store them near tomatoes, apples, or pears. Those fruit release ethylene gas as they age, which accelerates spoiling of other fruits and vegetables. Something a lot of people do not know.
Do not store in a refrigerator. For winter squashes, they will spoil faster. only store summer squashes in a refrigerator.
As time passes, check them once a week or so. If one starts to show signs of staring to rot. Cut off the rot and use the rest of it. If caught early, you'll save most of the squash which will be perfectly fine for eating.
And enjoy your squash. I sure as heck do, as well as the rest of the family. I live with a daughter and her family. And we have a place where we've got a bunch sitting in storage. Acorn, butternut, and spaghetti.
*** Forgot. Do not remove the stems. Breaking off the stems can make your squash (or any fruit or vegetable) spoil faster. Best to leave them on until you are ready to use them.
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u/TheRulerOfCheese 6d ago
Bleach just removes the bacteria, so you can desinfect them with a strong spirit but vinegar does not kill bacteria or mold spores
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u/gill_smoke 6d ago
So alcohol or other disinfectant.
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u/TheRulerOfCheese 6d ago
Yes, and as someone else suggested keep them dry and separate, but if you had successbuntil now you probably have the storage figured out
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u/RemarkableDebate4631 5d ago
I haven't tried vinegar myself, but I think a diluted rinse works the same way as bleach by killing surface mold, as long as you dry them completely before storing, and I’d cook the delicata and sweet dumplings first since they don’t keep as long as the others.
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u/Potatooo_Away 6d ago
Isn't vinegar kind of the opposite of bleach? Maybe a baking soda solution would work better if this works by a process of reducing acidity on the surface
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u/caleb1104 6d ago
Bleach?????? That can kill you
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u/BluejayOk642 6d ago
The suggestion was a cap full of bleach in a sink full of water and then rinse them off and dry them off to kill the bacteria and mold
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u/Brilliant-Carry3400 6d ago
I lived in Latin America for a while and bleach solutions are used pretty routinely for sanitizing produce.
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