Allotments 4 All

hi

cut into one of our jack o lantern pumpkins and the flesh is quite soft and it tastes earthy and fusty (if that is a word!) - really quite unplesant.

Do you think they have gone off a bit maybe? very firm on the outside still - seemed fine. They have been in the shed (with the sprouting carrots  :() so guess they could also be a bit warm???

Not much we can do short of keeping them in the fridge in the garage only place we have cooler than the shed!

We grew Fester which was watery and insipid... have they been tainted? Some things pick up flavours... shouldn't keep my quince and apples in the same place but don't have two stores.
???

Did it smell of mildew?  I had some that although they were still firm, they probably weren't properly seasoned and the flesh had started to go mouldy.  Couldn't see it, but could smell and taste it.  Also had a couple that were as bitter as hell and I put that down to cross pollination or something along those lines, similar to the problem with bitter cucumbers...... :-\  What a shame!

Think EJ is right, and it'd started to go off. Also word of caution for those like me who are storing their hoard on the stairs, do check them regularly for any signs of softness. Someone gave me a pumpkin to try, I put it with the others - 2 weeks later a foul mushy mess on the carpet one morning - yuk!
I find the best way to store squash is suspended in nets in the shed, but suppose I'm lucky as my shed is quite cool.

yes I'd suspect EJ is right too. When a squash decides to go, it goes fast - jenny, if you ever come visiting, I can show you the very spot on the stairs where one of me pumpkins imploded last week yurrrrgh >:( :P

I'm still scrubbing at my stain too  ;D

Just as an aside ... don't they pong when they implode ... mine have always been in the shed or greenhouse, so any smells have had a chance to waft away ...

By the time I noticed anything, it was too late!

Well that may explain why businesses only concentrate on pumpkins for halloween, they may become a liability after that. I cannot see myself growing pumpkins again, now I am aware of the superior taste from winter squash, although the pumpkins did provide me with awesome quantities of curry sauce ...

thanks for the replies.... yes - they do smelll damp and mildew like - got another one yesterday and it is the same too..... will def stick to squashes next year also! butter nuts in the shed are still looking great and made the nicest roast butternut and sweetcorn soup for lunch today  :)

I think I picked them too early, although they were on a sunny window ledge for about 3 -4 weeks (until they had gone completely orange and their skins seemed a bit tougher), but guess it was not long enough!

QuoteI cannot see myself growing pumpkins again, now I am aware of the superior taste from winter squash

Aren't pumpkins just another type of winter squash?

I thought you'd never ask MT ;)

In a way, yes. Pumkin and squash belong to the genus cucurbitae, related to cucs, melons, gourds and luffas. Surprisingly, the fruit is strictly speaking a berry :o a simple fruit with pulpy flesh that doesn't split to reveal the seeds.

Depending which Booke you consult, there are between 20 and 27 different species.
The three main species of cucurbitae are:
C. maxima - large, corky or spongy stems which are roundy and larger at the base
C. moschata - stems angled and fleshy, rather than rounded and ropy, opening out towards the fruit, becoming star-shaped and knobby
C. pepo - stems ridged all around, widening slightly at the base.

All pumpkins and squash fit into five horticultural groups which the seed catalogues use:

Summer squash (all C.pepo) - eaten when immature. Courgette/zucchini, crookneck, round courgette, and pattypans.
Autumn Squash (all pepo) - squash eaten when mature but not stored for more than two months. Acorn squash, spaghetti squash, marrow.
Winter squash (all maxima and moschata) - keeping qualities up to a year. Several groups e.g. butternuts, hubbards, kabocha, sweet potato squash etc. They have a strong, distinctive flavour that stands well on its own, unlike most pumpkins which are more watery and have a grainier or fibrous texture.
Pumpkins (mainly pepo but include a few maxima) - rounded shape and yellow to orange colour. Many have a yellow gene that ensures early yellowing.
Ornamental Gourds (all the inedible and some edible pepo, some maxima) - grown for decoration. Includes the smallest (edible) pumpkins e.g. Jack-be-little, and Turk's Turban.

For the curious:
Butternut, Black Futsu are moschata.
Delicata, Jaspee de Vendee are pepo.
Buttercup, Crown Prince, Hubbard, Queensland Blue, Kuri are maxima.
Atlantic Giant, Big Max, Rouge Vif d'Etampes pumkins are maxima.

So yes, some pumpkins are the same genus as some of the most delicious winter squash, but different ::)

The distinction is helpful in the kitchen too. Pumpkins are good for soups and pies, winter squash IMO stand alone for flavour and texture.

8)

Quote from: supersprout on December 01, 2006, 08:27:25
The distinction is helpful in the kitchen too. Pumpkins are good for soups and pies, winter squash IMO stand alone for flavour and texture.

I agree entirely ...

All my marrows have gone orange and hard???

What is that all about? Was it because the pumpkins were also in the garage with them?

Just ripening... Andy, the hard skin carries it through the winter and the sudden soggy collapse gives the new plant a drink to get started!
8)

Do they always go orange or sometmes stay green and go mushy?

I went to check my butternuts tonight and picked up a particularly nice looking one only to discover its gone mouldy at the back of the neck where its been hidden from view ... have chopped off offending mush and will roast rest of it tomorrow.  God I hope the rest are OK through the winter.

Some stay green Andy - mine have this time.  And yes, boy do they collapse when you least expect it.  The first I know about it is when the kids come tearing in from the conservatory screaming that the pumpkins have gone rotten and leaked all over the floor!

Leaky pumpkins would not go down well here !!! Since my main use of pumpkins was curry sauce (12 gallons one year?) and this year I produced a superior sauce from green tomatoes, I think the tomatoes will win out (since the red ones are lovely too !). I will be growing the squashes of course (varieties as I can get hold of) and also considering any other exciting veg to trial ... I watch all these threads for interesting ideas !

Yeah firm firm firm BANG gunge :-\