Cut an acorn squash in half Saturday to find that the seeds, instead of being held in an orange matrix of threads and strings, all poured out in a blob of grayish slippery slop. There appeared to be a thin layer of softer flesh, maybe 1/8 inch deep, surrounding the pit where the seeds grow. I scraped that layer out, but had second and third thoughts about using the squash for food. One side had a discolored spot on the inside that I also scooped out. Then, I threw that side away and cooked and ate the other side. But I worried. What the hell explains that mess I found inside?
Mold. Or some sort of fungal infection. The side with the discolored spot is probably where it entered the squash.
Probably best you threw away the nasty parts. Fungus tends to send “roots” a little ways into the still-good-looking parts so I hope you cut away some of the normal looking flesh as well.
The results of eating such a thing is probably like eating slightly moldy bread - ranging from “no discernible effect” to diarrhea. If you’ve felt fine since Saturday it’s unlikely you’ll have any problems at all from eating the good side of the squash.
Me, I probably would have thrown the whole squash away - but then, my husband has a sensitive tummy and his health isn’t the greatest.
Your squash has a cold.
eeewwwww.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest it was bad.
I can’t say just how disgusting it was to see that horrid mess slide out of the squash. And I was just on the verge of making squash soup and needed it, of course. I didn’t have time to go shopping for more squash since I had timed the preparation fairly close to the minute. I also had a butternut squash that I used but it represented about 1/2 of the squash pulp I was going to use. Bottom line, I used the better looking half of the acorn squash and made some of the best squash soup I’ve ever had. I lived to tell about it and I …ack…argghh…
I’ve been eating squash all summer long and not it’s cheaper than ever. If the squash gets a bruise or cut it eventually becomes a site for growth of rot, for lack of a more accurate name. The damage is almost always local. You can cut around it easily and see where the line of demarcation from the healthy tissue exists. Cut more if you miss it. If I sensed more global issues, I would pitch the whole item. This has never happened to my squash, but has happened with peaches or peppers.