That ones fine. For best flavor let cure for several weeks before cutting them, This decreases the water content and concentrates the sugars.

How do I cure them?

Thanks. I washed them to get rid off any dirt and leaves. I have a basket with holes to allow air to flow that I can store them in. Every other year we just bring them in rinse them and put them under a table.

FWIIW that stem still appears awfully green. I would have left it on the vine longer until it was brown and more dry - that's assuming no weather or varmint threats.

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+cure+squash&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1

Lots of info on curing and storing winter squash.

Dave

After harvest I wipe mine down with a weak bleach/water mix.

When I used to grow BNs, under the right conditions (dry) they would cure in the field ok. To prevent any soil organisms from penetrating the bottoms where they sit on the ground I'd tuck a little pine straw/needles under each one. If rainy conditions come then clip and store in garage. Laceyvail's suggested 5% bleach wash is a good step.

As for the brown area around the seed cavity, I'd scrap it out with the seeds and bake the 2 halves with your favorite seasonings.

i did scrape it out and bake them. My concern is for long term storing and possible rotting from the inside

If BNs or just about any other fruit or veggie rots from the inside there is not much you can do about it other than eat those first before they're too far gone. Unfortunately one needs x-ray vision to determine which BNs need eating first.

I have doubts as to whether the discoloration in the photo is "rot". Rather it is unripe greening from immaturity given the color of the stem. You still wouldn't want to eat it as the taste will be off but then the overall taste of an immature squash isn't nearly as good as one left to mature prior to harvest.

Dave

The two I cut open and baked, were kinda dry and didn't have much taste to them.

I have had my butternut squash plant growing since the 28th of March but at the beginning, all of the tiny squash sort of turned dark and died and I thought it was a goner. A few days or maybe a week or two, I can't remember, I saw that I had 1 little squash hanging under a beautiful dark yellow blossom and I have been watching the vine closely ever since. Now, it is September, that squash appears to be ready to pick according to all that I have read. It is a nice golden tan all over, it is hard, no squishiness at all, it's stem is really dry and dark brown but, it is only 3 and a half inches from the stem to the bottom. Is it ready or not, I am not sure. Also, the vine, even though it has been planted in my backyard in a container for about 6 months, has started to produce some other babies. I never planted things before and I am 75 years old and I have tomatoes, the squash, cucumbers, sweet corn, strawberries, soon, potatoes and onions since I live in Florida (Citrus County) and that it the only time they will grow here for the most part since they do not like out hot humid days and nights of which, this year was the worst. It was so bad here for so much of the late Spring and summer, that even the bees were nowhere to be found so most things just didn't produce anything much. I am new to all this so any advice that anyone can share will be greatly appreciated! Carol

If the question is whether to pick them, if they are tan and hard, the answer is yes. Certainly if the stem is brown, they're done. They won't get any bigger. Not clear why they're so small. But if they're being grown in a very small raised bed, the lack of space may be constraining them. The death of young squashes may have been a sign of that stress. The picture I see looks like a plant that has been around for just a month or two. An end-of-summer plant should be a LOT larger.

Thanks for your response, I am planting more so I will choose a larger container and see if that is the problem. I had to constantly unwind the vines from clinging to each other and I noticed that some of the vines beneath were dying off and drying up so I thought that was the cause. I have to find a way to keep them separated and from strangling each other. The picture on the top is a short time after I planted it and the bottom picture is about when it was 2 months old.

Oh, well, we're talking about what to do at the end of the season, so naturally I thought the pictures were at the end of the season! As I said, those plants looked either really young or really stressed. I'm not sure why the vines would cling to each other and wind themselves up rather than just spread out, though. Were you intentionally confining them? That would tend to shade them, and squash don't much like shade.

Actually, I was removing some of the big leaves that appeared either turning really yellow and crappy or if it appeared that the squash wasn't getting enough sun. We also had a horrible very hot, very humid and rainy season, the worst that I have seen here since I moved to Florida 30 years ago. Actually it is still bad so maybe that didn't help either. Now, all of these months later, it seems that I am finally getting some squash, although the first one is really small. There are a bunch more popping out on the upper vines, maybe they will get bigger. It's all trial and error for me these past few months since I never planted anything but rose bushes in my lifetime. I do thank you for your input and advice, I appreciate you taking the time.