Pumpkin harvest 2020

With the nights drawing in and the chances of frost increasing, I decided to harvest the few pumpkins that grew this year.

A large hand woven basket filled with 5 different pumpkins, of different sizes.
The pumpkin harvest

Given a lackluster summer, I actually feel I’ve done pretty well. In particular, the Sibley Squash, below, from Real Seeds did best.

The largest pumpkin sitting on a blue-green table.
Sibley squash, the largest one at 2.84kg.

The largest came in at 2.84kg, then the two smaller at 1.29kg and 1.18kg respectively. I cut up the smallest one when we had a bunch of roast veggies from the garden the other day. This cultivar has a yellow rather than orange, flesh, but tasted just as good. The fact that it grew well in a dull year means I’m definitely going to try it again next year.

A smaller pumpkin cut in half and sitting on a bench in the kitchen. It has yellow, rather than orange, flesh, but still tastes really good.
Sibley squash cut in half

I also tried a couple of cultivars (below) that I got from the Heritage Seed Library, Chicago Warted Hubbard and Blue Kuri Kabocha. Some time ago, someone on Twitter mentioned growing the smaller Kabocha type squashes in Sweden and finding they did well. I thought, if it does well in Sweden, why not Sheffield? I was hoping for more than one, I confess! Maybe better luck next year.

The medium and smaller sized pumpkins. On the left is the dark green one with light green stripes, and on the right is a small Kabocha light green one that would easily fit in your hand.
Left: Chicago Warted Hubbard. Right: Blue Kuri Kabocha

The pumpkins are now residing in our lounge room, where they’ll be safe from frost. I’ll make sure I’ll check them weekly, so that if I notice they are getting softer, I can then plan to use them sooner. I think they make a nice display, in the meantime.

The five pumpkins spread out on a concrete hearth in the lounge room, with a dark green leafy plant in a cream-white pot in the middle of them.
Pumpkins hardening off in the lounge room.

Maybe I don’t have any giant pumpkins, but I have pumpkins, with very little effort (just watering) on my behalf, and this pleases me. I know it’s spooky season, but to me, pumpkins are all about the eating.

All five pumpkins sitting on the outside blue-green table.

Mmmmm.

Two plates of veggies peeled and cut up, from the garden. The top one has the small yellow Sibley squash cut up, plus some fennel bulbs. The bottom one has purple kohlrabi and red-magenta beetroot.
A plate of veggies, ready for roasting.

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