First, check the color. A ripe butternut squash should be a deep, uniform beige or tan—not greenish or pale. If you see green streaks, it’s like a stop sign saying, “Not yet, chef!”
Second, look at the stem. It should be dry, woody, and cork-like, not green or soft. A green stem means the squash was picked too early, and you’ll miss that sweet, nutty flavor.
Here’s a fun trick: run your fingernail gently across the skin. If it leaves a shallow scratch that doesn’t heal, the squash is ripe. If the skin is too hard to scratch at all, it might be over the hill.
