What are these spots on my butternut squash?
I just roasted a bunch of butternut squash for dinner and am getting to puree, but am noticing that some of the pieces have weird glue-looking spots. It sort of looks like when water weeps out of the pores on the squash, only it's white and the consistency of silly putty. They're very small spots (like the size of a straight pin head), and close to the skin on the flesh, on the cross-section. I feel like I'm describing this poorly. Here's a picture:
My question: Is this stuff safe to eat, or do I need to compost it and find something else for dinner? I'd rather not give my whole family food poisoning!
Best Answer
I have seen those before when I have cooked squash; they seem more common when I microwave it. I suspect they are just starchy deposits. I have always just wiped them off and eaten it anyway.
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Can you eat butternut squash with white spots?
That's the butternut starting to dehydrate. It's normal and nothing to be concerned about. For cooked or cut butternuts, look for mold, \u201cfunny\u201d smell, and changes in texture. If there are any white specks on the surface, or the quality isn't good enough anymore, get rid of it.Can you eat butternut squash with brown spots?
If there are any small mushy or rotten spots, you can cut them out (and then some). If they are quite large, discard the whole thing whatsoever.What does mold look like on butternut squash?
Fungal fruiting bodies (pycnidia), can often be seen as black specks in a ring pattern on infected areas. On butternut, the lesions appear as bronzed, irregular patches and raised corky areas. Another appearance is a reddish-brown ringspot pattern that becomes bleached white (a petrified look).What are the white spots on my butternut squash?
Less expected: beads of white sticky stuff oozing out. \u201cIt's a sugar substance,\u201d Penelope Perkins-Veazie, a horticulture professor at North Carolina State University, told me. Her lab once attempted to investigate the ooze's potential as an adhesive. \u201cIt's perfectly safe,\u201d she said.How to Avoid Common Squash Problems
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Images: Ann H, Denise, Pixabay, Magda Ehlers