There is so much more to a pumpkin than becoming a creative feature for the traditional Celtic festival of Halloween. As with all festivities, it started with a story and many surround All Hallows’ Eve, as it was known, and how the pumpkin came to be part of it, but suffice to say pumpkins were found to be perfect for carving.
So, whether you carve it, eat it, fill it or roast it, there are cauldrons full of ideas for your pumpkins.
Pumpkins for eating
The edibles team at RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey had a pumpkin tasting session, to see which were the best for flavour, and texture of the flesh. RHS Horticulturist Pavlina Kapsalis shares the results.
Queensland Blue is an Australian heritage Gardeners often use the word variety when referring to a specific plant, but the correct botanical term is 'cultivar'. Whichever word you use, it means a distinctive plant or plants, given a specific cultivar name and usually bred to enhance certain characteristics, such as flower or fruit size, colour, flavour or fragrance, plant size, hardiness, disease resistance, etc. Additionally, it is worth knowing that, botanically, variety has another meaning - it refers to a naturally-occurring distinct plant that only has slight differences in its looks. For example, Malva alcea var. fastigiata differs from typical plants by having an upright habit.
cultivar with a medium-sized, muffin-top-shaped fruit. It has a dark green to grey ribbed rind, deep orange flesh and an excellent, sweet nutty flavour. It stores well and can be used for roasting, is great in pies, baked, or in soups. The trailing plant is vigorous, spreading up to 3m, but can be trained on supports.
Bon Bon has small dark green fruit with grey stripes, buttercup type of winter squash with excellent taste and bright orange flesh. The name Bon Bon comes from the honey-like sweetness of the flesh when baked. Multipurpose use – roasted, baked, or in pies – and stores well.
Crown Prince is one of the long-standing favourites, with blue, grey medium size fruit that can be stored for up to 6 months. It has tough skin, orange flesh and a great nutty flavour.
Uchiki Kuri also has a nutty flavour, with beautiful small orange fruit that looks like onions, and is very decorative. Perfect for a Sunday roast and will store for up to 5 months.
A few more good varieties to mention:
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North Georgia candy roaster – an heirloom variety, banana-shaped with sweet, smooth flesh, which can be fried, pureed or roasted, and used in sweet pies. Originally cultivated by the Cherokee Native Americans
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Lunga di Napoli – an Italian heirloom variety; large green, butternut-shaped winter squash with a deliciously sweet flavour
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Boston squash – large, orange, crooked onion shaped squash, a vigorous grower
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Spaghetti squash – interesting to try, not much flavour but when baked the texture of this squash is stringy and resembles spaghetti
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Mashed potato squash – when baked and mashed it has texture of mashed potatoes, but with less calories, and a buttery sweet flavour
Pumpkins for carving
Any pumpkin can be carved but some are easier than others. The traditional orange, lightly ribbed pumpkins with softer skin are perhaps the easiest, but other cultivars we have found good for carving include:
- Racer F1
- Jack O’ Lantern
- Jack of All Trades
- Baby Bear (small fruit)
- Prizewinner (large fruit)
- Casper (white skinned)
- Polar Bear (white skinned)
These are all easy to grow and the smaller varieties can be trained up supports, which look very decorative.
Waste not, want not
When carving your pumpkin, don’t waste the flesh and seeds, they can be used to make soups and stews, or try roasted pumpkin seeds as a snack. You could also try growing them on moist kitchen roll as tasty microgreens. Used pumpkins should be added to your food waste or compost, not left where wildlife (especially hedgehogs) can eat them. As well as seriously affecting their diet and spreading disease, they may eat candlewax or any decorations used on the pumpkin.
If you are planning to eat pumpkins bought from a shop or farm, check whether they have been grown using pesticides or fungicides. They should have a warning label if they are not suitable for eating. Paul Kettell, Edibles Team Leader at RHS Wisley added, “You can buy or grow ‘ornamental’ gourds, which are not suitable for eating and will be labelled as such. They are usually small and very ‘warty’ in appearance, and tend not to taste good. They are perhaps too small for successful carving but are often used for decoration through autumn and into Christmas.”