By Jane Hayes / Garden Jane
Pumpkins are a favourite plant to grow because they are tasty, easy to grow, and they’re great to carve for Hallowe’en. Here are some fun facts, recipe ideas and growing tips!
Fun facts about pumpkins
- Pumpkins are usually orange but can sometimes be yellow, green, white or red.
- The word pumpkin comes from the Greek word ‘pepon’, meaning ‘large melon’.
- Giant pumpkins can be grown for competitions. In 2015, the world record was 2323 pounds!
- Pumpkin plants have both male and female flowers, with bees typically being involved in pollination (the transfer of pollen).
- Pumpkin can be baked, roasted, steamed or boiled. Pumpkin soup is popular, as are roasted pumpkin seeds.
- Pumpkins are especially popular at Hallowe’en when people carve pumpkins and place candles inside (these are known as jack-o-lanterns). This tradition is believed to have come from Ireland where they used to carve faces into beets, turnips and other root vegetables as part of the Gaelic festival of Samhain.
- You can take your old carved pumpkin to a pumpkin parade on Nov 1st. You can bring your pumpkin to a pumpkin parade that is already established or start one in your neighbourhood.
Pumpkin Soup Recipe
(serves 3-4)
Adapted recipe inspired by Minimalist Baker
- 2 sugar pumpkins (~2 1/4 cups (450 g) pumpkin puree)
- 2 shallots, diced (~1/4 cup or 40 g)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 1/2 Tbsp or 9 g)
- 2 cups (480 ml) vegetable broth
- 1 cup (240 ml) light coconut milk or milk
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) maple syrup or or honey if not vegan
- 1/4 tsp each sea salt, black pepper, cinnamon, nutme
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut off the tops of the sugar pumpkins and then halve the pumpkins. Scrape out the seeds and strings.
Brush the flesh with oil and place face down on the baking sheet. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a fork easily pierces the skin. Remove from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes, then peel away skin and set pumpkin aside.
To a large saucepan over medium heat add 1 Tbsp olive oil, shallot and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly browned and translucent. Add remaining ingredients, including the pumpkin, and bring to a simmer.
Transfer soup mixture to a blender to puree the soup. Pour mixture back into pot.
Continue cooking over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes and taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Tips for Growing Pumpkins
- Pumpkins need light, well-drained soil rich in organic matter and take a great deal of space.
- Dig a 30 cm deep hole and refill it with compost, then build a mound of soil-compost on top that is 30 cm high and 60-90 cm wide.
- Place several seeds in each mound at least a week after the last frost date; thin seedlings to the strongest 2 plants per mound; apply a thick mulch of hay, straw or leaves after the vines begin to lengthen.
- Pumpkins need full sun and 2.5 cm of water per week (~2 litres per 30 cm square / ½ gallon per square foot / one medium watering can)
- Pumpkins can be grown as one of the three sisters, a traditional first nations approach to growing the complete nutritional combo of corn, beans and squash. Each plant helps the other – corn providing a pole for pole beans to grow up, pumpkin leaves providing shade and mulch for the soil, beans helping fix Nitrogen in the soil.
This post is part of the HH Feature Crop series, in which we highlight different produce that can be grown and enjoyed locally.