Hokkaido pumpkins impress with their juicy, low-fiber pulp and nutty taste. The shell can also be eaten, which makes preparation easier. Not to forget that Hokkaido are also extremely easy to care for when it comes to storage. Our guide tells you how to store the pumpkins.
Hokkaido pumpkins can be kept for several weeks if stored in a dry and dark place
Criteria for the proper storage of Hokkaido
When storing Hokkaido, the following points should be considered:
- Only keep undamaged Hokkaido. They should not show any dents or scratches.
- Do not wash Hokkaido pumpkins. They must not come into contact with water, otherwise they will rot.
- Store the Hokkaido at temperatures of around 10 to 14 degrees Celsius and a humidity level of no more than 60 percent.
- Store Hokkaido pumpkins in a dry, dark, and well-ventilated place, such as a pantry or attic.
tips
If you have several Hokkaido that you want to keep for a long time, it is advisable to stack them in well-ventilated wooden boxes. However, the stack must not be too high - take a maximum layer height of 80 centimeters as a guideline. The pumpkins feel most comfortable in air-permeable nets in a dry cellar. But: You can also keep individual pumpkins in your apartment.
Properly stored Hokkaido pumpkins stay fresh for up to eight weeks.
And if the storage conditions cannot be met?
If you store Hokkaido pumpkins improperly, they risk becoming soft and rotting. If you are unable to create the required storage conditions, you have two options:
- Consume pumpkin promptly
- Freeze pumpkin
tips
When freezing, all you have to do is deseed the pumpkin and cut it into pieces. Then put the pieces in portions in freezer bags and finally put the whole thing in your freezer.
Store cut Hokkaido pumpkins properly
Store opened Hokkaido in the refrigerator. They will stay there for up to four days. It is best to wrap the leftover piece of pumpkin in cling film. Alternatively, you can also cut the leftover pumpkin into cubes, then put them in a coverable glass or plastic bowl and put them in the fridge - provided you are sure that you will actually eat the pieces in the next few days. Otherwise, we advise you to freeze the Hokkaido as described above, thus extending its shelf life by months.
The garden journal freshness ABC
How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?
The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:
- as a free PDF file to print out yourself