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"Ripening

When kabocha is just harvested, it is still growing. ..." | Ripening kabocha

what is the source for these facts? It has been copied widely to many pages to be found in a web search.

possibly from | gochiso magazine - primary edition 2006

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"When kabocha is just harvested, it is still growing. So, unlike other vegetables and fruits, freshness isn’t as important. It should be fully matured first, in order to become flavorful. First, kabocha is ripened in a warm place (77°F for 13 days, during which some of the starch converts to car- bohydrate. Then it’s transferred to a cool place (50°F and stored for about a month in order to increase its carbohydrate con- tent. In this way the just-harvested, dry, bland-tasting kabocha is transformed into smooth, sweet kabocha. Fully ripened, succulent kabocha has a reddish-yellow flesh and a hard skin with a dry, corky stem, and is heavier than it looks. It reach- es the peak of ripeness about one-and-a- half to three months after it’s harvested."