The Peculiar Pumpkin

Did you hear about the gigantic pumpkin that was weighed in at Half Moon Bay this past Monday?  It tipped the scales at 1,658 pounds!  Now that's one plump pumpkin!  Pumpkins are a peculiar fruit.  Don't you think?

Last year I watch this documentary called Lords of the Gourd.  It was both fascinating and bizarre.  These people spent about 6 months out of the year and thousands of dollars to grow these gigantic pumpkins.  It was crazy!  They talked about how they could practically watch them grow and some of the farmers got so attached that they actually wept when it was time to harvest them.  Eccentric folk, but I suppose you'd have be in order to fully commit yourself to growing the giant gourd.

   

The documentary also featured pumpkin boat racing.  That's right.  There are actually communities (east coast) that hold annual events where competitors hallow out there huge pumpkins, hookup them up to boat engines and race them around a lake.  Who knew that sizable squash could actually be used for transportation purposes? 

I don't know of any other produce on the planet that comes in so many different shapes, sizes, colors or has so many different uses quite like the pumpkin.  From home decor and flotation devices to bubble bath and medication, the pumpkin is a versatile fruit indeed.  It's also found in many dishes, both sweet and savory.  It can be used in sweet treats such as pies, muffins, breads, smoothies and ice cream, but also as a key ingredient in main dishes like pasta.

   

If you couldn't tell by now, I like pumpkins.  I like to grow them, I like to cook & bake with them and I like decorating my house with them during the holiday season.  And there are so many different varieties to chose from.  That's why each year when fall arrives, and it's time to find the perfect pumpkin, I tend to lean towards the more unusual looking ones.  Now, I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with the traditional orange jack-o-lantern type, but once you realize how many varities exist and are available these days, why would you want to limit your selection to just one type?

As you can clearly see from the photo at the top of the page, pumpkins come in many different shapes, sizes and colors.  Two of my favorites include the Queensland Blue (jade color) and the Cinderella (low to the ground with deep ridges).

         

Martha Stewart Magazine describes these two types of pumpkins:

Queensland Blue' is an Australian squash with jade-green skin and smooth deep-orange flesh, whose high sugar content makes it perfect for pumpkin pie. Packed with vitamin A, winter squash is versatile and nutritious.

French pumpkins, such as the elegant 'Rouge Vif d'Etampes,' dubbed the Cinderella pumpkin, tend to be low to the ground and often display deeply ridged lobes.

For more information on the different types of pumpkins, check out Martha Stewart's article from 2008, A Palette of Pumpkins.  And for some yummy pumpkin recipes, stop by on Tasty Tuesday.  Until then, have a great weekend and if you haven't already, go find the perfect pumpkin!