Finding The Cure

Well, I picked the delicata squash about a week ago and let them cure in the kitchen. A few might have benefited from another week or two on the vine, but the plants themselves were virtually dessicated, and I was afraid the remaining squash bugs would try to take refuge in the squash themselves. I'll have to burn the little buggers up after the first hard frost kills everything. I got sixteen total from eight plants - there should have been more. There are fifteen pictured here (I had to eat one earlier), along with some volunteer potatoes. The two with blue twine wrapped around the stems are the ones I hand-pollinated to save for seed.
That butternut in the shot is actually from last year's crop. I got it to last eleven months in the basement, and decided to crack it open to see how it tasted. As you can see, it looked pretty good. A little dry around the seed sack, and not as tasty as its brethren that I ate over the winter, but definitely still edible. I was surprised how long it lasted. I wonder what the record is?