The fruit of a spaghetti squash can replace pasta in a number of dishes.
Spaghetti squash is a winter squash whose insides look like spaghetti noodles. Spaghetti squash comes in several varieties, including the traditional light yellow variety, 4-lb. Tivoli, "Pasta" squash and Stripetti, a hybrid of spaghetti and delicata squash. Once mature, spaghetti squash will store for several months in a cool, dry place. Their interesting fruit is often used in place of pasta and on its own as a side dish.
Instructions
1. Watch for the color change in your spaghetti squash. Pick the squash when it turns bright yellow, after it has transitioned from creamy white. If you are growing a striped variety, pick the squash when the green stripes turn deep green. Pick an orangetti spaghetti squash when it is bright orange, not yellow.
2. Lift the fruits occasionally, without picking them from the vine. A mature spaghetti squash usually weighs between 3 and 4 lbs., which indicates that it is ready to pick.
3. Tap on the squash rind and see if it's hard. If it "thunks" a bit when tapping on it, as if it is hollow, it is ready to pick.
4. Cut the mature squash from the stem of the vine carefully, leaving 2 inches of stem attached.
5. Compost any squash that have been subjected to heavy frost if you can't use them right away, or if they've been injured or cut.
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