Topic: Supermarket pumpkins

[janebb]

Being a bit of a tightwad I saved some seeds from a supermarket pumpkin last year.  I planted two of them a couple of weeks ago and they are growing well.  I would love to know what variety they are.

The pumpkins were standard supermarket fare - bright orange and about 12" in diameter. I know this isn't much to go on but does anyone know what varieties are commonly available in supermarkets?

[Gadfium]

Could be Baby Bear, or Tom Fox?

BUT...

You may be in for a bit of a surprise...

...most supermarket vegetables have to be produced to such stringent parameters (i.e. diameter A, unblemished apprearance B, uniformity C) that most of them are F1s specifically bred to fit these daft rules. What you therefore get are mountains of fabulously looking fruit and veg, on a narrow genetic base, usually lacking in the most favourable attribute, that of taste.

If your pumpkins were F1s, then what you'll get is anyone's guess... could be small, large, blue, yellow, warty, misshapen... anything.

Great fun finding out, though!

[wardy]

You'll have to do a seed swap next year to get some more exciting varieties than on offer in the supermarket.  Some of the best flavoured ones look quite wierd and probably would not be acceptable to supermarkets  :)

[North Country Boy]

I have just sown some which, surprisingly have all germinated in less than 2 weeks. They are called pumpkin 'halloween' probably a hybrid grown for its traditional pumpkin looking qualities, big & orange, adored by children on halloween and beloved of face carvers alike.

[wardy]

The flavour is fab I reckon.  I was given my first ever taste of pumpkin when my  lotty neighbour gave me the flesh from his pumpkin carving.  He always put it in the compost bin!  He was astounded when I suggested eating it  ;D  Anyway I made it into soup which he tried and now he is a convert and is roasting, mashing and eating pumpkin soup and curry like a veteran.  He and I are now trying to grow as many varieties as our lotties will hold  ;D

[North Country Boy]

I must admit ive gone a bit pumpkin mad over the years but am trying to keep my eating habits seasonal and not buy 'out of season' produce and am certainly trying my best to avoid supermarket produce as much as i can. I cant wait to make an abundance of roasted butternut squash with chilli soup served on a cold halloween night or on bonfire night and then freeze the rest until temptation proves too much to resist. Have set aside one whole bed ready for planting out this years crop. :P :P :P :P

[wardy]

My lotty mate and I were poring over our crop of squashes and pumpkins last night over a glass or ten of wine  ;D  We've got nine different varieties at the mo but people have heard we're collecting so our family could expand.  Just hope we don't run out of allotments :)

[Gadfium]

Roasted butternut squash & chilli soup? Any chance of a recipe?

This is my first endeavour with pumpkins/squashes, & I  am a bit apprehensive about the whole thing. For a start, the only cooked pumpkin I've ever had was at an American Thanksgiving dinner... and boy was it not to my liking - but then it was smothered in butter, sugar & marshmallows. And my friend-and-partner in first-time allotmenteering, assures me they do taste good!

Now chillis & spices I revel in, so that soup sounds like a good starting point for my uneducated tastebuds. And at the risk of being totally  :-[ , do you actually peel the thing, or shove the whole magnificent object into the oven, when people say they like 'roasted squash'? And, if you do have to peel it... how??!!

... I feel like the chap at university who earnestly believed that you had to peel every baked bean in the tin, before you could eat them!

 ;)

[North Country Boy]

Dont know how everyone else does theirs but i normally quarter a butternut squash, peel the skin off lay it on a roasting tray sprinkled with dried chilli flakes salt and drizzled with olive oil, roast for about 15-20 mins until nice and soft, whilst they are cooking cook a chopped onion in a pan with a bit of garlic add the cooked squash and cook for a few minutes. Add chicken stock and blend to the desired consistancy. If im cooking it for home i also add a small quantity of milk and single cream (same quantity of each) that has been brought to the boil but not bolied (if that makes sense) and add to the blended soup. Sorry if there are no meaurements as thats my style of cooking, more of what i like and less of stuff i dont (unless its absolutely necessary).

[Ceri]

The most disgracefully gorgeous recipe is on Hugh Whittingstall's River Cottage website - it involves a slightly hollowed out pumpkin/round squash, litres of double cream and pounds of gruyere, garlic, nutmeg (can't remember the rest but google for the site - it's worth it).  Dump it in the middle of the pumpkin, put the lid back on, bake until cooked but before collapsing (!).  Stick in the middle of the table like a soup tureen - take spoons and dig. 

It's should be legislated against it's so amazing!

[wardy]

That did sound fab  :)   I love pumpkins and only ate my first one last year.  I googled and there are loads of recipes out there. It tastes good with cumin or nutmeg added. 

[Moggle]

Gadfium, when I make pumpkin soup, I skin it and dice it, but you could just as easily roast it using North Country Boys method, but without skinning, and remove the skin once cooked. I always put in some onion, garlic, and a few carrots and tomatoes for a bit of extra sweetness. Boil it all up until tender then blend till smooth.

I also love the stuff roasted (skin on again, I like it, but you can always cut it off when eating) with sunday dinner!

One of the nicest curries I had was lamb and pumpkin curry.

You can also mix it with ricotta to make a filling for canneloni/lasagne/ravioli

[wardy]

Moggle   The greys you gave me are up today  ;D