i planted to many w/ out knowing what to do w/ them or when thet are ripe, ok big mistake now what.?

-- renee oneill (oneillsr@home.com), July 29, 2000

Answers

Good stuff! You can boil or bake until tender....cut in half, remove seeds and cook till you can pierece easily with fork. Let cook enough to handles, and scrape spaghetti out with a fork!

-- Sue (sualndherb@aol.com), July 29, 2000.

I have had luck with storing the squash for afew months in the fall. Make sure the squash is mature and pick leaving at least one inch of stem on them. Good eating.

-- jean (kjean@ii-rule.net), July 30, 2000.

'Spagetti' squash, pickles well. I happened to have some on hand when I put up the green tomatoes, and experimented- Nice treat.

-- Kathy (catfish@bestweb.net), July 30, 2000.

A long while back, I had been given some and didnt know what to do with them. I did the standard scrape and bake thing with butter and such but no one seemed terribly impressed, everyone wanted to know why if I was going to make a squash I didnt just make "squash" (that translates to a sweet seasoned acorn here) and made this "thing". I still had some and didnt want to do the scrape and bake thing again so I sat around and thought for a while and it dawned on me that these things were called Spaghetti sqash so...Now I mix 1 can of stewed tomatos and 1 can of tomato paste with appropriate italian seasonings for a fake spaghetti sauce and glob that on top of every serving. Everyone seems to like it now and even ask for it.

-- William in WI (thetoebes@webtv.net), July 31, 2000.

Boy, am I ever at the oposite end of the spectrum from William! We treat it like any other winter squash. Cut in half - remove seeds - bake. Add butter and brown sugar or maple syrup if you like. Scoop out "spaghetti strings" and enjoy. We tried the spaghetti sauce idea and our feeling was that it would take an undiscriminating maggot to choke it down! But then, I suppose if we all liked the same things it would be unbearbly dull! GL!

-- Brad (Homefixer@SacoRiver.net), July 31, 2000.

ReNee: Aside from all the other responses Spaghetti squash is one of my favorites. As you hae heard...cut them in half, seed them, place them upsidedown on a baking sheet and cook for about 20 - 30 minutes until the center peirces easily with a fork. Scoop in some Butter, salt and pepper and enjoy! We do this often and for my husband and I it almost makes a meal of itself (great with a pork chop or game hen). As for storing them....I put them in a cool dark area and they will last for quite some time. And another thing....If you bake them, scrape out the "spaghetti" and serve with a spaghetti sauce they ARE TOO wonderful. Also good with butter and Parmessan cheese...Let you imiganition GO WILD!!!!!

-- sherry (stalbot@ubtanet.com), July 31, 2000.

I must be lazy. We do the spaghetti sauce thing, but I hate washing pans, so I do it all in one!! I slice the squash lengthwise about 1/3 to 2/3 (not in half). I scrape out the seeds and place the larger half hole up in a baking dish. If it rolls, I level off a bit with the knife from the bottom to keep it straight. I then fill the cavity with spaghetti sauce (homemade with meat I find is the best -- gives the squash a nice flavor) and top it off with the bit I cut off. I park it in the oven for a while until I can pierce it with a fork and then pull it out and serve. This and a mess of homemade bread is about all you need for a great, CHEAP meal.

-- Tracy (trimmer@westzone.com), August 01, 2000.

For a faster way and creates less heat in the house, cut in half, place cut ends down into a pyrex shallow dish, add ~half cup water and cover with plastic wrap or lid and cook in microwave for 6-8 minutes or till tender. Scrape out seeds, rake out "noodles", add butter, s&P, parmesan cheese or whatever ticles your tongue. Hot sauce is good too!

-- Sonya (clb@watervalley.net), August 01, 2000.

My favorite is to cut a small hole, (as a steam vent) and bake whole until tender. Then I cut open, remove the seeds, (you can eat these like you would pumpkin seeds) and scrape out the good stuff into a baking dish. Add a generous amount of your favorite cheese sauce, with freshly ground pepper and plenty of summer savory, and bake at 350f for about an hour. I have also stored them successfully, treating them the same as you would any winter squash.

-- Connie (Connie@lunehaven.com), August 03, 2000.