Home-grown nutmeg squash spoils the palate as an aromatic pumpkin cream soup, spicy chutney, a hearty side dish or a sweet cake topping. The gourmet in the home gardener knows that only ripe fruit can bring perfect enjoyment. This guide is peppered with well-founded information about the best harvest time. Benefit from our tips on how to speed up ripening in the bed or how to ripen unripe fruit behind glass after harvesting. This is how you can determine the state of ripeness without a doubt and harvest nutmeg pumpkins correctly.
nutmeg squash
Maturation time is 120 to 150 days
Nutmeg squash forms a subset of the popular ones Musk Gourds (Cucurbita moschata). The best-known representative is the historical variety Muscade de Provence, which is mainly grown in southern Europe. The close relationship is expressed not only in the bronze-colored, juicy-sweet flesh, but also in a matching ripening time of 120 to 150 days. Since the time window for direct sowing in the Central European climate does not open until mid-May, the harvest time extends from mid-October to the first frost. This information is based on the premise of ideal conditions in a sunny, warm location. Above all, the weather has a decisive influence on when the fruit is ripe and when the harvest time actually begins.
maturity
When is a pumpkin ripe? - Here's how to determine it
It would be so easy to count the days after sowing to know the beginning of harvest time. The imponderables of the Central European summer weather thwart this plan. In fact, the indication of the ripening time for all types of pumpkin is only intended as a guide. This is mainly for harvesting „
Butternut squash, Cucurbita moschata
„ important, as this variety needs a lot of warmth and does not always reach full maturity even in its Mediterranean distribution area. An uncomplicated test procedure can be used to reliably determine whether the fruit is actually ripe. The following criteria indicate when you can harvest a nutmeg squash.
- smooth, intact, light brown to bronze colored shell
- completely dyed through, without green spots
- firm, woody fruit stalk
knock test
the knock test provides final certainty that a nutmeg squash is ripe. If all visual requirements are met, put an ear to the skin and tap the fruit. If you hear a hollow, dull noise, the harvest can begin. As long as you cannot agree to a single criterion for harvest maturity, please leave the fruit in the bed. If you harvest the Tankberries too early, their shelf life, taste and aroma will suffer.
Pumpkin Harvest
Instructions for harvesting pumpkins
Fully mature nutmeg squashes are up to 20 kg in weight, which makes harvesting a feat of strength. At the same time, a high level of sensitivity is required if you want to harvest the heavyweight without damaging it. Minor injuries to the skin or the sensitive fruit stalk cause rot or serve as a welcome target for pathogens. The following step-by-step guide explains how to expertly harvest a nutmeg squash.
- on a dry, overcast day before the first frost
- Sharpen and disinfect knives or secateurs
- place a sufficiently large wheelbarrow next to the ripe pumpkin
- harvest the fruit with a clean cut
- Do not break the stem
- leave at least half of the woody stem attached to the fruit
Musk Squash, Trumpet Zucchini, Cucurbita moschata
Lift the pumpkin into the wheelbarrow. If the Panzerberry has reached its proud maximum weight, a helping hand is welcome so that the magnificent specimen does not fall to the ground and break at the last moment.
immaturity
Nutmeg squash is not ripe - what to do?
A cool, rainy summer renders all information about the ripening period obsolete. If there is a lack of heat and sunlight, the pumpkin will grow to the expected diameter of 30 to 40 cm and weigh up to 20 kg. The skin, on the other hand, remains dark green and soft. With a targeted strategy, you can promote the maturing process.
That is how it goes:
- no longer water and fertilize the pumpkin plant
- Use a sharp spade to cut off all the roots within a radius of 50 to 60 cm
- put the fruit on a wooden board to protect it from rotting
These measures trigger an accelerated ripening process in the pumpkin. It is important to note that this is an emergency plan that is only successful on fully grown nutmeg squash.
Frost before harvest time
Onset of winter before the start of the harvest season - this is how you act correctly
The package of measures to accelerate maturity is hopeless when it's freezing and snowing. Like all cucurbits, nutmeg squashes do not tolerate temperatures below freezing. Nevertheless, this year's pumpkin harvest is not doomed to failure, because Muscade de Provence is one of the climacteric fruits. This property means that an unripe pumpkin can continue to ripen after harvesting. Special metabolic processes cause the stored starch to be converted into fructose outside of the cultivation area. The natural plant hormone ethylene plays a key role here. This puts nutmeg on the same level as other climacteric fruits such as apples, pears, tomatoes or plums.
Butternut squash, Cucurbita moschata
How to do it:
- harvest all unripe pumpkin fruits before the first frost
- Spend the pumpkin in a light location with temperatures of 20 to 25 degrees Celsius
- Place fruits next to each other without touching points and do not stack them
- Turn every few days until fully ripe
The plant hormone ethylene also known as ripening gas because it escapes from climacteric fruit and affects surrounding fruit across species boundaries. If you place some fully ripe apples, pears or bananas next to a pumpkin, the ripening process will progress quickly. When a nutmeg pumpkin is ripe for consumption during the climacteric is revealed by the warm bronze tone of the skin color and a tapping test.