Home

Kabocha: Harvest

3 Kabocha Harvested (click for full sized image)
1st kabocha harvest 18th September 2005
Kabocha Peduncle (click for full sized image)
Corking of the peduncle indicates the best time to harvest

 

Kabocha Flower Scar (click for full sized image)
The flower scar is a further guide to ripeness
Kabocha cut open (click for full sized image)
Kabocha cut through the centre
In 2005 we grew 3 varieties: 'HK' (olive-skinned), 'KK' (dark green) and 'DB' (dark green and the largest). Weight of a freshly harvested fruit varied between 1.4kg and 3.4kg with most weighing between 2 and 3kg. The peduncle must be left on the fruit to prevent ingress of rot or pests during storage. After a week of curing at 20 to 25 degrees celsius to harden the skin and increase sweetness, we would expect the weight to have dropped by up to 3%. Kabocha can then be stored for two to three months with neglible loss of quality and nutritional value. Roasted Kabocha served with rice (click for full sized image)
Roasted Kabocha served with rice

Back to Kabocha page 1