pretty good crop for something i didnt plant. the pile out of my garden finished.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/43722/0813211929_Film1.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1629127640)
and the pile that sprang up in my sons garden (a dirtpile from excavating for a little pool) are coming in right behind it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/43722/0816211047_Film1-1.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1629128759)
what would you do?
Kept cool and dry, they will keep for a long time. Cut into chunks, parboil and freeze. Bake or steam till soft and then mash before freezing. Use like mashed potatoes or as a substitute for pumpkin. They are lower carb than potatoes and I eat low carb, therefore I eat lots of butternut.
I leave them out in the sun a couple days until the stem stub is brown and dried then put them in my root cellar. They usually last until Easter. Any cool dark place will work but in your climate you may need an old refrigerator as they last longest when kept below 45 deg. My wife makes a great soup with them, breads and cakes, use them instead of pumpkin in pies after roasting, cube them up then roast with olive oil and some seasoning, I slice rings and grill them with a maple syrup coating, doughnuts and the list goes on. They are the longest lasting item in our root cellar and maintain great flavor. Put them away with wet green stems and they can start rotting from the end in a couple weeks. Here is a great cake my wife makes with them. Butternut Bundt Cake With Maple Glaze - YouTube (https://youtu.be/jXs-HYWRfFE)
Kathy puts pieces in soup, can't find it, a neighbor cuts them up, scrapes out the seeds, and grills with a little butter, then puts a bit of brown sugar on it. Tried that, it is good. Kathy put one seed in the middle of one of the water tanks, after she had the green beans going around the edge. That seed overwhelmed the tank, got a whole pile of squash, have been handing them out to the neighbors, and eating some.
They are sold at most any grocery-per the can't find it comment? We grew them then even though they store like forever-almost- we would chop them up with a heavy knife in chunks and process into freezer bags portioned for soup making. They are easier to grow than many vined crops as don't seem to have the mildew/damping off issues we see here with melons and cukes. The soups pretty cheap in boxes at groceries and to be honest it's one of those processed foods that taste similar as store bought.
Gotta be careful cutting them as they're seriously hard. Cleaver works well.