I think both of those in pic 1 are ready, and maybe overgrown. Summer squash, like cucumbers should be picked young and tender. So when you cut them the seeds should be soft, not chewy. If the seeds shell is hardening , then it is overgrown.

Podpiper,
So glad you posted this question--your delicata looks exactly like mine & I was wondering the same thing. I usually only plant butternut & acorn for my winter squash, but this year I decided to walk on the wild side & try something new. That's always fun, but how to know when it's ready?
Hopefully someone will answer this for you--us. Your plants look great. I've never tried trellising my squash, I just let it sprawl out all over. Maybe next year; it does look much tidier.

Winter squash in general should be harvested when fully matured. At that point the rind will probably be too hard to puncture with a fingernail.

OK, i am going to pick one tomorrow and give it a go. Now I need some recipes. how does everyone eat these Delicata's

Dale

Dale, I would hold up if I were You. Neither of those squash are anywhere near mature. Both are winter squash, which means they are best when fully mature and cured a couple of weeks before eating. As stated above, if you are in a great hurry, you can pick when the skin is hard enought to resist a fingernail. The basic way for both these squash is t o split in half, removed the seeds, put butter or other seasonings in the seed cavity and bake in the oven. Of course they can also be used in any other way you use a winter squash, pies, purees, soups etc.

Here is a link that might be useful: some winter squash recipes

Thanks farmerdilla, I will wait.

Dale

Hey Dale,

I too had this very same question. As usual, FarmerD comes to the rescue. Of course, all those years in Virginia taught him well (hehe).

Anyway, here's a link to a previous GW thread discussing Delicata. I actually found it with a Google search, not a GW search. It contains some interesting info as weill.

Rick

Here is a link that might be useful: Previous GW Delicata discussion