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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] pie pumpkins

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  • From: Pat Meadows <pat AT meadows.pair.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] pie pumpkins
  • Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2004 10:34:00 -0400

On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 10:16:57 EDT, you wrote:

>this is so fun to read about.
>one year i asked farmers at my local farmers' market why the pumpkin one
>buys
>in a can is so dark and flavorful and compact but the pumpkin that one takes
>home is pale and less flavorful. no one had a good answer except to say
>that
>the pumpkin in the can has had much of the water evaporated out of it to
>concentrate it. so i began experimenting and purchased different deep dark
>orange
>varieties and found that if I baked, pureed, and slowly cooked it on top of
>the stove so the water would evaporate out, the end result was compact and
>dark,
>sweet and flavorful.
>
>any more info on this would be welcome!
>

I have always understood that the 'pumpkin' one buys in cans
is really winter squash of one type or another.

I also read - just last night in fact - that our 'pumpkins'
are bred to be large and impressive so that people will buy
them for Halloween and decorations, etc. Going along with
this is coarse and watery flesh. ('Breed Your Own Vegetable
Varieties', Carol Deppe, Chelsea Green Publishing, White
River, Vermont, 2000, pg. 276) Deppe further states 'None
of the big _C. pepo_ Halloween pumpkins have good flesh
quality. This is no surprise, since they are sold by the
pound, and it is cheaper to produce a pound of water than
dry weight.'

I would suggest trying one of the large winter squashes
(Hubbard, etc.) instead (if you can find one) and seeing if
you prefer it to the pumpkins. In other words, just regard
the pumpkins as decoration, but eat the winter squash.

Next year: somehow, someway, I'll find room to grow winter
squash. We did grow spaghetti squash this year, and it's
been a great success. It's very good and MUCH better than
supermarket spaghetti squash (not really a surprise).

Pat
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