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  • From: Bill Shoemaker <wshoemak AT illinois.edu>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Pie Pumpkins and "yams"
  • Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 08:16:55 -0600 (CST)

I think you're right. The botanical distinctions distinguish between species.
But the terms pumpkin and squash are popular names that have to do with
popular use and are not related to botanical terms. And you bring up a good
point about sweet potatoes. While some people call some sweet potatoes yams,
they are all Ipomoea batatas, sweet potatoes. These are members of the
bindweed (yes, they're related to morning glory) family, the Convolvulaceae.
The yam is an African root crop that is a member of the yam family,
Dioscorea. But like pumpkins and squash, popular useage blurs the line. In
the south there are sweet potatoes that are also called yams. I'm not as
familiar with them but I think they do have distinctive characteristics such
as you describe, the paler, drier varieties. I don't ever see them in our
markets, though the orange, moister sweet potato varieties are common here.
Bake'm for an hour, be happy all night!

Bill


>It's my impression that there is no botanical distinction between
>pumpkins and squash; that the distinction is entirely popular usage,
>and is pretty much a matter of "I know it when I see it!" in that
>winter squash of certain shapes and colors gets called pumpkin. There's
>enough variation in shape and color of "pumpkins" to make things really
>confusing, though -- "Long Pie", for instance, which is the shape of
>overgrown zucchini and also, at harvest, more the color of zucchini; I
>would guess it gets called a "pumpkin" partly because it turns orange
>in storage and partly because people made/make "pumpkin" pie out of it.
>
>The Fedco catalogue lists "pumpkins" in pepo, maxima, and moschata
>families.
>
>While we're at it: I know that no sweet potatoes are really yams. But
>can anybody explain to me which varieties of sweet potatoes are
>entitled to be called yams in the United States market? (Part of the
>problem I've had is that customers seem to disagree on the
>characteristics of "yams"; some say it's the paler and/or dryer
>varieties, some say it's the more orange and/or moister varieties. I'm
>curious as to whether those on the list are in agreement on this
>subject, or whether I'll also get inconsistent opinions here.)
>
>-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
>Fresh-market organic produce, small scale
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>Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
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>
William H Shoemaker, UI-Crop Sciences
Sr Research Specialist, Food Crops
St Charles Horticulture Research Center
535 Randall Road St Charles, IL 60174
630-584-7254; FAX-584-4610




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