If you cut open a butternut squash and find it is green inside, you might be feeling quite alarmed. We usually think of these fruits as a cheerful orange or dark yellow hue, not green, and seeing this color isn’t a good sign.
Dark green flesh usually indicates that a butternut squash is not yet ripe enough to be eaten. The squash’s flesh will turn gradually more yellow as it ripens, so if you’re seeing green inside the vegetable, this indicates it isn’t ready yet. This is unusual in store-bought squashes, but you might see it if you grow your own.
Let’s look in more detail at why your butternut squash might be dark green inside, along with some top tips on what to do with it and information about whether it’s safe to eat.
Why Is My Butternut Squash Green Instead Of Orange?
If you’ve cut open a butternut squash and discovered that it’s green instead of orange inside the skin, there are three possible explanations for this:
- It isn’t ripe yet, so the flesh hasn’t turned orange
- It has been damaged and started to decay
- It is a hybrid squash
On the whole, it is easy to tell the difference between the first two. If you cut open a butternut squash that is unripe, you will probably find that the skin and flesh are both very hard and that the squash doesn’t have much scent. The seeds may be immature, and the flesh won’t give much if you press on it.
If the butternut squash has been damaged and begun spoiling, the flesh will probably be mushy and wet. It may have a strong, unpleasant scent, and will probably show signs of bruising. It may have been contaminated by bacteria, and shouldn’t be eaten.
A hybrid squash may also be dangerous to eat. These occur if two incompatible kinds of squash breed, producing fruit that is inedible the following year. You may be able to prevent this by keeping your squash plants separate or only growing one kind, but if you end up with a hybrid squash, it is not likely to be edible.
Can You Eat An Underripe Butternut Squash?
It is generally better to store your butternut squash until it has had time to ripen, but an unripe butternut squash is not likely to be harmful. The taste may not be very good and you might find that the vegetable is particularly starchy, but it shouldn’t hurt you.
If you have cut open an underripe squash, you can use it up in cooking, but be aware that it might need cooking for longer. It is harder than a ripe squash, so it may take longer to soften when it is boiled.
How Do You Know If A Butternut Squash Is Ripe?
To avoid eating underripe butternut squash, it’s a good idea to know how to tell when they are ready to pick. The surest sign is that you will see the skin turning from green to tan, which happens when the vegetable starts to get riper.
It usually takes around 3 or 4 months for a butternut squash to fully ripen, and it is usually ready to harvest in fall. There may still be some light green stripes around the stem of the fruit, but most of the green should have gone from the rind.
You may also see the vegetable’s stem turning brown and starting to shrivel up. This indicates that the plant is starting to cut off the nutrient supply to its fruit, which shows that the fruit should be ready to pick and eat.
Another good indicator is the toughness of the skin. The outer skin of the fruit should get firmer as it ripens, and if you can’t easily pierce it with your fingernail, it is probably ready to eat. Use all of these signs to determine whether a butternut squash is ready before picking it, and you should massively reduce your risk of getting an unripe squash.
Are Hybrid Squashes Safe To Eat?
No, a hybrid butternut squash is not likely to be safe to eat. These tend to have an unpleasant, bitter taste, and should be thrown away. If you aren’t sure whether your squash is a hybrid, taste a small piece of the squash before using it to cook with.
If it tastes bad, don’t cook it. Spit out the piece that you have tasted, and compost the rest.
Conclusion
Butternut squash should not be green in color; this indicates that the squash is unripe, a hybrid, or has gone off. You should always thoroughly inspect a squash that seems to be a strange color before you eat it, and if in doubt, throw it away. An unripe squash should be okay to cook with, but it may not taste particularly good.
