When you have unripe spaghetti squash you can ripen the unripe spaghetti squash indoors or cook the unripe spaghetti squash in dishes such as stir fires or cook it in place of zucchini.
If the unripe spaghetti squash is close to maturity and makes a hollow sound when it's tapped you can often ripen it in doors by placing the spaghetti squash in a warm and dry place and monitor the color and texture of the spaghetti squash.
The spaghetti squash when it's ripening should gradually turn more yellow and the skin of the spaghetti squash should also harden.
Unripe spaghetti squash can be used in stir fries with other vegetables and as a sauce and can be used in place of zucchini in many recipes.
You can also roast the unripe spaghetti squash and then even scrape it into strands for pasta dishes or other uses and you can also use unripe spaghetti squash in other recipes like lasagna, stuffed squash or even fry it.
If the unripe spaghetti squash is too hard to cut, you can soften the spaghetti squash by placing it in the oven or microwave before you slice it.
The best way to store uncooked spaghetti squash is to keep it whole and store the uncooked spaghetti squash at room temperature in a cool, dry and also dark location and keep the spaghetti squash away from any direct sunlight.
When stored at room temperature and in a cool, dry and dark place and away from direct sunlight the spaghetti squash can last for up to a month.
Other ideal storage locations for uncooked spaghetti squash and other uncooked squash are in a root cellar or a cool dark pantry.
You can also cut the spaghetti squash up and then blanch it and freeze it and the spaghetti squash can last for 10 months in the freezer.
The best way to store squash in the refrigerator is to store the squash whole and unwashed and in a loosely closed plastic bag or container and store the squash in a crisper drawer.
Storing the squash in the refrigerators crisper drawer in a loosely closed plastic bag or container helps the squash retain moisture and extends the shelf life of the squash.
If you want to store the squash for long term such as with winter squash you should consider storing the squash in a cool, dry and dark place outside of the refrigerator.
To store cut uncooked squash in the freezer you can blanch the cut uncooked squash in boiling water for 1 to 3 minutes and then immediately transfer it to an ice bath and then freeze the blanched cut squash on a plate, baking sheet etc until frozen solid.
Then transfer the frozen cut squash into a Ziploc bag, freezer bag or vacuum sealed bag.
You can also refrigerate the blanched cut squash for a few days as well in a Ziploc bag, freezer bag or container.
You should freeze squash cooked, especially if it's summer squash such as Zucchini.
Cooking the squash or blanching the squash before freezing helps to preserve the flavor and texture and color of the squash and prevents the squash from becoming mushy when it's defrosted.
However for winter squash such as acorn squash and butternut squash and other winter squash it can be frozen either raw or cooked but cooking or blanching it before freezing is preferred to make it last longer.
You can reheat frozen squash by placing the frozen squash in the microwave for a minute or two or until heated or you can also reheat the frozen squash in the oven at 300 F to 400 F for 5 to 10 minutes or until heated.
You can also roast the frozen squash in the oven by heating the oven up to 450 F and then tossing the frozen squash with some oil, salt and pepper and then bake until tender and slightly crispy, while stirring halfway through.
You can also heat or reheat the frozen squash in a toaster oven or air fryer as well.
No need to thaw the frozen squash out first before reheating it as frozen squash is best reheated or cooked from frozen.
If you don't blanch squash before freezing it can cause the squash to become mushy, soggy and lose it's color, texture and flavor over time.
Blanching of the squash before freezing helps to preserve the color, texture, quality and taste of the squash over time as it is frozen.
Freezing squash and other vegetables without blanching results in faded and dull color as well as off textures and off flavors.
Blanching the squash and other vegetables destroys the enzymes which are what turn the squash or other vegetables brown.
To freeze squash start by cutting up the squash in slices or cubes or however you want to cut the squash up.
Then blanch the cut up squash pieces in some boiling water for 1 to 3 minutes and immediately transfer the squash pieces to an ice bath.
After that place the squash pieces on a baking sheet or plate or something that is freezer safe and freeze them until solid.
Then remove the frozen squash pieces and transfer them into a vacuum sealed bag, freezer safe container, Ziploc bag etc and write the date they were frozen on the container, bag or Ziploc bag and place them in the freezer.
When ready to cook the squash pieces later you simply remove them from the freezer and place them in the pan or fryer and fry or cook them as normal from frozen.
Squash can become mushy after freezing, especially if it's summer squash types such as zucchini squash.
Squash can become mushy after freezing due to the high water content in the squash which can cause the squashes cell walls to break down during freezing and thawing.
You can minimize the squash becoming mushy by first blanching and flash freezing the squash before freezing it to help preserve the texture.
To blanch the squash for freezing, wash and cut the squash into the desired sizes which can be grated, cubes or slices and then blanch the squash in boiling water for 1 to 3 minutes.
Then immediately after removing the squash from the boiling water you transfer the squash to an ice bath, drain and then flash freeze on a baking sheet.
Frozen squash should not be thawed before cooking.
It's best to cook the frozen squash directly from the freezer without thawing it which is especially true for recipes such as boiling, steaming and roasting the squash which helps to maintain the moisture and avoid a soggy texture to the squash.
Although if you want to use the frozen squash in baked goods, it's recommended that you thaw the squash and drain any excess moisture.
Frozen squash can go bad although freezing the squash helps the squash to last longer.
When frozen the squash is often good for around 5 to 10 months although it can remain safe to eat after that but after 10 months the squash starts to go bad.
You can also vacuum seal the squash to make it last longer although the squash also goes bad eventually even when vacuum sealed.
If the squash smells bad, tastes bad or has any mold on it or is really mushy or slimy it should be thrown out.
You can just cut squash and freeze it although it's best to blanch the squash after cutting it before freezing it which helps to preserve the color, texture and flavor of the squash during freezing of the squash.
If you just cut the squash and freeze it the squash will still remain safe to eat but the color, texture and flavor can change and it may not be as tasty or as appetizing.
You can freeze the squash in Ziploc bags or use vacuum sealed bags and you can freeze the squash by cutting it into slices, cubes or even freeze the squash as a puree.
Vacuum sealing the squash when freezing it helps to preserve the frozen squash longer by preventing oxygen from reaching the squash.