The best way to lengthen the postharvest life of pumpkins and winter squashes is to store them at a happy medium between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, with a relative humidity of 50 to 70 percent. These conditions, often found in basements, keep respiration and loss through shrinkage to a minimum and preserve color and quality. Well-matured and –cured squashes will store in good condition for three to six months or longer before the processes of senescence bring decay. Winter squashes are bulky and require sturdy shelving (I use bakers’ racks); place fruits in single layers with ample breathing space around them. Lining the shelves with cardboard or newspaper can make cleanup easy when squashes dissolve into puddles of protoplasm.
Both summer and winter squashes can be harmed by cold and freezing temperatures. Frost on the pumpkin can be fatal: Freezing stops respiration, causes intercellular ice to form, and destroys tissue. Pumpkins and squashes can also be damaged by cold temperatures above freezing. Chilling injury is cumulative; it increases in severity with the number of hours a squash is exposed to temperatures of fifty degrees Fahrenheit or lower. Keep a temperature gauge in your storage area and provide heat if there’s too much of a chill in the air.
You’ll know stored pumpkins and winter squashes are on their way out when their skin color changes, because of a breakdown in chlorophyll and other pigments, and their texture softens. This is your signal to get busy in the kitchen!