Butternut squash - did I ruin them?

[JMediger]

We had our first frost last night ... not heavy but enough that I covered the tomato plants. My concern, though, is with our butternut squash. My thinking was ... squash are hardy, they'll be fine. Now this morning, I'm reading "Pick before frost" on several sites ... . Did I ruin them? Can they be saved?

 

[miniman]

I would pick them fairly soon and leave them in a cool dry place to ripen.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Definitely pick them asap & cure them for storage. Continued frosts - even light ones - will cause the skin, & thus the flesh inside, to deteriorate.

 

[JMediger]

Well, I pulled them off the vines Friday before we left for the weekend again. The sides that had the frost exposure are a little soft and are darker than the side that was on the ground. I think I'll cook them up and freeze them today rather than the traditional curing process on the table. I'm just concerned that they'll get really soft and I may lose more than I may already have.

Thank you for your insight ... any other thoughts?