pumpkin-slice

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion
• 1 lb pumpkin
• 1 lb potatoes
• 8 oz carrot
• 1 litre chicken or veg stock
• 1/2 pint milk
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• salt & pepper
• knob butter
• 2 tablespoon oil

Method:

• place butter & oil in pan
• saute onions
• add pumpkin, potatoes & carrots
• pour in stock
• simmer for 40 minutes
• liquidise
• season to taste
• add ginger, nutmeg & milk
• serve piping hot!

Pumpkin Soup recipe is ideal for a Halloween party!

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• Summer squash is:
• less mature
• smaller
• will not store long
• Courgettes & zucchinis are examples of summer squash.

  

  courgette

• Winter squash is:
• more mature
• kept and eaten at a later date
• Spaghetti squash, acorn squash and pumpkins are examples of winter squash.

giant-pumpkin

It is useful to be able to grow both summer and winter squash to add variety in the kitchen.

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By Dave Truman

Pumpkins are great for a number of purposes. They can be used to make a great pie, and of course there’s the traditional Halloween decoration.

pumpkins-halloween

Fortunately, growing good ones takes only a modest amount of knowledge and care.

As with any vegetable or fruit, preparing the soil properly is paramount. Use a soil testing kit to make sure the pH is about 6.0, a little more alkaline than many vegetables see as ideal. pH can be adjusted up or down with sulfur or lime. A soil temperature of about 60F/15.5C is best.

Good drainage is important for growing good pumpkins. Too much clay in the earth will retain excess moisture. Soil that is too sandy will lose water. A good sandy loam is best. You can adjust the consistency by adding compost, breaking up clay, adding topsoil and other common methods.

From Seed to Vegetable

Planting in small mounds is a favorite technique. Be sure to leave plenty of space from one plant to the next, though. Pumpkins grow large and they like to have lots of sunshine, water and earth all to their own. From 4-6 feet (1-2 m) apart is best. If you like to plant in rows, keep those 6-8 feet (2-2.5 m) apart. The surrounding ground should not be planted with other vegetables.

Daily watering would be overdoing it for these plants. But when you do water, make it ample. Pumpkins like a good soaking that puts water down deep into the soil. Provided you have soil that drains properly, a drip irrigation system will put plenty down where it needs to go.

big-pumpkin

Some Concerns and Remedies

That style of watering will also help avoid some of the common diseases that attack pumpkins, such as downy mildew. It’s caused by the Pseudoperonospora cubensis fungus and growth is encouraged when the temperatures are lower and the leaves are moist. It will appear as yellow spots on the foliage. As the disease progresses it turns brown, then black. Along with proper watering practices, ample space encourages good air flow, which helps to reduce the odds of disease.

Powdery mildew is a similar problem, caused by a different type of fungus. It appears as a white mold on the leaves. Unlike downy mildew, however, this type tends to occur in warmer weather. But it is encouraged by the same bad watering methods. That’s actually good, since one good technique can combat multiple problems. Compost tea is useful for these problems, too.

Unfortunately, fungi aren’t the only enemies of pumpkins. Cucumber beetles are a common pest for this plant. Squash bugs also like pumpkins a little too much. Thick mulch helps minimize their ability to lay eggs.

Many growers will plant ‘trap crops’ to lure the insects to sacrificial plants in order to retain the more valued pumpkins. Companion plants such as catnip, marigolds and mint will help keep the squash bugs at bay, for example.

carved-pumpkin

With a little care pumpkins will be ready for harvest in 3-4 months. Then you can carve one up and have pumpkin pie just in time for Halloween.

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Squash have:

* a creeping vine with five-lobed leaves and tendrils

courgette-plant

* large, unisexual, yellow flowers

courgette-flowers

* fleshy edible fruit with a leathery rind

There are two types of squash, which differ according to how long the fruit will store.

• Summer squash is  less mature and smaller, and will not store long. Courgettes & zucchinis are examples of summer squash.
  

  courgette

• Winter squash is more mature and can be kept and eaten at a later date.  Spaghetti squash, acorn squash and pumpkins are examples of winter squash.
  

  pumpkins

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The record pumpkin needed:

* 80 gallons of water a day
* six tonnes of manure
* lots of sun, showers and humidity

The world’s heaviest-ever pumpkin weighed in at 1,502lbs and was grown by Ron Wallace of Rhode Island, USA.

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pumpkin-face

They are rampant growers, and just take off. The only problems are
slugs, which eat the young seedlings. Start the seeds off in a pot on
the kitchen window sill. When the seedlings are an inch or so,
transplant into the garden, but surround with a circle of soot. The
slugs don’t like wriggling through this. Cover the seedlings with a big
glass jar to keep the birds off, and after a couple of weeks they should
be safe.

Once you see that there are several fruits, pick one for a pumpkin pie,
or make some jam or chutney. This keeps the interest going until Halloween.

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