How to tell if a butternut squash is ripe

The clearest sign that a butternut squash is ripe is a hard rind that you cannot puncture with your fingernail.

• The rind is hard enough that it cannot be easily punctured by a fingernail.
• The skin has a dull, less glossy appearance rather than a shiny one.
• The squash has turned its characteristic mature tan color.
• The stem where it joins the fruit has lost its green and developed brown, woody stripes.