Pumpkins

I grow pumpkins every year; they are easy to grow, fun to carve, flexible to cook and tasty to eat. They are one of those great vegetables that work well in sweet and savory dishes. In this post I wanted to share some of my regular pumpkin related recipes. But first...

Growing Pumpkins

Growing from seed is easy; you can use seeds you collected and dried from the previous year if you have them. Use good potting compost with a couple of seeds in each pot. Seed in a normal small pot so that the plant can develop to a fair size before going into the ground. Germinate in the greenhouse and even in the UK they will come through without any additional heating. Transplant to outside in their growing position when there are at least 5 adult leaves on the plant and the roots are pushing through the base of the pot. Dig a much bigger hole than the pot, fill with as much high nutrient compost as you can as these plants are REALLY greedy. I also add chicken manure as this is excellent for pumpkins. Water in generously and protect from any threat of frost. If you want massive pumpkins, only allow one fruit per plant; when you get a fruit in a convenient place on the plant, cut out all the others, put some straw beneath the fruit and keep an eye on the plant from that time on to make sure no other fruits are set. You can feed with tomato feed / seaweed extract, but I just give mine a top up of chicken manure on a regular basis; they love it.

Picking and Carving

Pick your pumpkin when the whole fruit is coloured fully and the plant starts to die and dry out. Cut the stalk cleanly at least 10cm/3in from the fruit if possible, and this helps to keep rot at bay. You can leave the pumpkin in this state, somewhere dry and airy, for months (I have cut pumpkins in October and kept them 6 months with no issues). You should check stored pumpkins weekly and remove any that show signs of rot otherwise it will spread to the others. 

Carving pumpkins is something I really enjoy doing. I like the macabre and this is a fun way to use a plant's outer shell before putting it on the compost. There are lots of good designs on the internet as well as tips on how to carve. My advice is to use very sharp knives and a base that will not let the pumpkins slide about; it is very easy to cut yourself handling a big and slippery fruit. Cut the top of the pumpkin head first, giving a nice side area at the top; don't cut too close to the stem. 

Try to cut at an angle so that when you want to replace the top it does not just fall back in. Use a tablespoon to drag out all the seeds (keep some for next years seeds and the rest can be roasted in oil and salt as a snack). The rest of the stringy innards I give to th chickens - they love them! Then scrape out the fleshy inner layer of the pumkins; it will come out well and this is ideal for making pumpkin marmalade. Now you should have a pumpkin ready to carve. Set the lid to one side and get some long and sharp knives out. Serrated ones are ok to the main work, but you will need a sharp knife for the detail. Then carve and use your imagination! I have some of mine shown here to give you some ideas.     

Cooking Pumpkins 

There are a number of things I like to do with the inevitable glut of pumpkins I end up with. The simplest is roasting slices of pumpkin in the oven with garlic, chilli and pepper; it's great with a roast as an unusual side dish. 

Pumpkin pie is a bit more complicated and takes a lot more preperation, but if you grow your own pumpkins, it is something you REALLY have to try at least once. You will then find out why the yanks love their pumpkin pie so much (and they usually use that tinned stuff; fresh it is even better). It tastes a lot like what we would call a custard tart, but it has a subtle pumpkin taste at the same time, that sweetness you get from pumpkin comes through so well in them. Here is a good recipe for you to try, from Jamie Oliver. Just substitute his butternut squash with pumpkin.

Pumpkin soup is another good use for that pumpkin flesh, once you have it all processed. There are loads of great recipies for pumpkin soup out there, but I would recommend this one from Raymond Blanc; he nails it by keeping it simple and not being too fancy with the flavours. I would be tempted to add a garlic clove or two and a chopped chilli too though... as I cannot help but change all recipes I try!

Finally, the one that always gets the quizzical looks, pumpkin marmalade. Try this recipe:

Pumpkin Marmalade
    1kg pumpkin or squash - weighed after removing skin and seeds!
    1kg granulated jam sugar
    2 oranges
    2 lemons
    250ml water
Using a spoon, carve the flesh out from inside the pumpkin in long thin strips. 
Weigh so you get the full 1kg, then mix with the jam sugar in a large bowl.
Cut the oranges and lemons into halves lengthways and then slice those thinly with a sharp knife. 
Put the oranges/lemons and water in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. 
Add the pumpkin and sugar and bring gently to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. 
Boil until the mixture is thick and syrupy and has met setting point - about 30 minutes. 
Pour into sterilized jars and seal.