Frugal Friday: Kitchen Tip/Tutorial - How to peel a winter squash

I mentioned that we harvested the squash last week. Along with the potatoes and tomatoes. Here's a picture of them. Please pardon my shadow in the background. :)

Yes we pick the green tomatoes too; they will ripen in our basement during the next couple of months. 

Have you ever tried to peel a winter squash and ended up giving up after a few minutes? Winter Squash are wonderful, but they can be difficult to peel. That hard outer core is what makes them store so long, but it's hard to get through it when you're ready to eat it. Today I'm going to give you a few tips that may help you next time you need to do it.

How to Peel a Winter Squash
Printable Tutorial

Step 1: Break into it. Now this is often easier said than done. Some squash are easier than others. With many squash you can just use a knife to cut it open, but others will give you a harder time. This is a picture of a Hubbard Squash that I was trying to cut into cubes. Its skin was so tough (even after being in my basement for 6 months) that I actually had to use a little trick to get it open. I took it and a clean dish towel out to our cement floor garage. I put the dish towel on the ground and dropped the squash from about 1 to 2 feet off the ground until it cracked open. This guy gave me such a challenge that I actually had to throw it with force at the dishtowel, but it finally cracked open.

Step 2: Scoop out the seeds and goopy stuff and cut it into reasonable, manageable pieces. 

 Step 3: Slice the manageable pieces into long, thin slices.

Step 4: Slice the long thin slices into bit sized cubes the size you need.

Step 5: Next cut off the peel from each bit sized piece.

Finally you are left with cubed, peeled squash. This method is a lot easier than trying to peel off the tough skin before you cut it. I've done it that way and it takes forever and you're left with blistery hands.

There you have it! How to peel a winter squash. Seems simple enough, but it took me several years and lots of blisters to figure it out. :) What about you? Do you have anything to share? Please do! Happy Frugal Friday. Have a great weekend.