Growing Pumpkins for Cooking, Eating, and Carving

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A little bit of imagination, some simple tools, and a glowing candle nicely sets off pumpkin art.
A little bit of imagination, some simple tools, and a glowing candle nicely sets off pumpkin art.
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Flickering candles light grinning faces on a dark night.
Flickering candles light grinning faces on a dark night.
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Boy and cat-o'-lantern face off.
Boy and cat-o'-lantern face off.
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Miniature pumpkins are only three inches across.
Miniature pumpkins are only three inches across.
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Edward Gancarz, second from left, wins the world record with his 816.5 pumpkin.
Edward Gancarz, second from left, wins the world record with his 816.5 pumpkin.
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Kids carving a pumpkin for Halloween.
Kids carving a pumpkin for Halloween.
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Each pumpkin plant has both male and female flowers, requiring cross-pollination.
Each pumpkin plant has both male and female flowers, requiring cross-pollination.
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Miniature pumpkins are easy for kids to harvest.
Miniature pumpkins are easy for kids to harvest.

When you think of pumpkins, you probably picture jagged-toothed jack-o’-lanterns and Thanksgiving pies. But the versatile pumpkin has far more going for it than these traditional uses. Pumpkin is delicious raw, baked, boiled, and stir-fried. The hollowed-out shells make perfect baking and serving containers; the seeds and meat can be dried and ground into flour or eaten as a snack. Best of all, growing pumpkins is incredibly easy.

Pumpkin Varieties

When I was growing up, there were two kinds of pumpkin. The smaller ones had firm flesh and made delicious pies. The larger ones had stringy, watery meat and were good only for carving into jack-o’-lanterns. Today, we recognize a wider variety, including: the giant pumpkin, a huge, orange-colored winter squash and Australia’s blue-skinned Queensland pumpkin (both C. maxima ); the deep South’s tan-colored big cheese pumpkin (C. moschata); and the Southwest’s green-striped Cushaw (C. mixta). Sizes range from miniatures that will fit in the palm of your hand to record-breakers large enough to carve into a child’s play house.

According to leading expert Glenn Drowns of Iowa, the true pumpkin is Curcubita pepo. The Curcubita family includes all varieties of winter and summer squash as well as pumpkins. Pepo, the true pumpkin, comes from the Greek pepon, meaning “ripened by the sun.” This pumpkin was introduced by Indians to the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock. As the early settlers moved into areas unfavorable to the growth of C. pepo, they had troubles getting their pumpkin seeds to grow. So they looked for something similar that would grow, and called it a “pumpkin.”

Among true pumpkins alone, you’ll find plenty of variety. Miniature pumpkins like Little Lantern and Jack Be Little are only three inches across, making them perfect for single servings and holiday centerpieces. The miniature Baby Boo and the standard-size Lumina are unusual in having pearly white skin. The carving pumpkin, Autumn Gold, turns golden before it’s fully ripe, making it ideal where the growing season is short. Naked-seed pumpkins like Triple Treat and Lady Godiva produce seeds without hulls–a handy trait if you like snacking on fresh toasted pumpkin seeds but don’t enjoy cracking shells between your teeth.

  • Published on Oct 1, 1992
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