Smug Pumpkin
This is our ridiculously over priced Halloween pumpkin. This will be the last year I buy a ridiculously over priced pumpkin. I am going to save the seeds and attempt to grow my own. If that doesn’t work, next year we will carve into a completely affordable pumpkin, which we can also eat the insides of, and be done with it. Those with Canadian blood running in their veins will spend some time tomorrow carving this into something spooky. As in previous years, it will sit on our front verandah in the warmish weather and attract a bazillion little black flies for a truly hideous Halloween display.
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Congratulations to Aleece who was the lucky winner of this past week’s give away. She submitted a link to a delicious looking recipe for Mushroom Barley Bake which I am most definitely going to make the next time we do baked chicken. Thank you for all your comments – what a fabulous stash of good things. Just in case you were wondering, to keep it fair, I deleted any duplicate comments. Stay tuned for another give away next week.
Responses
25th October 2008 at 2:51 pm
Hi Claire, Saving the seed to grow pumpkins from your cut pumpkin will not be viable next year (or this year, or any year). You have to let the pumpkin rot due course of nature for seeds to be viable and the pumpkin cannot be a hybrid as well, which you may or may not know. Best to roast the seeds after rinsing in water in an oven of 250 degrees F. for 1 hour. And buying a seed packet to grow in the garden. Although when I think of it, your seasons are opposite to mine, so you would start soon (when low temps get above 50 degrees F), however a mature pumpkin can store in a cool dry spot for 6 months, so you will be alright next 2009 Halloween. As far as cutting, the squash is perishable. Either you cut for jack o lantern or food, not both. If you cut for a jack o lantern, it will not be good for pie. And three days max before Halloween to avoid flies. I hope this helps.
25th October 2008 at 4:51 pm
It looks beautiful! I have been looking everywhere for a pumpkin to carve, but our silly Australian varieties are no good.
Where did you find yours? I’m running out of time, and I’m totally prepared to spend dumb amounts of money!
25th October 2008 at 7:30 pm
That’s a beautiful specimen – what a gorgeous colour. I have to say hacking into a Queensland Blue would probably be a bit cheaper …. especially as all this warm weather is sadly going to turn it to mush pretty fast!
25th October 2008 at 8:29 pm
We don’t do the halloween thing but I was tempted by lovely pumpkins just like that at Toscano the other day.
I love the sound of your hideous halloween display!
25th October 2008 at 9:48 pm
That is one great looking Pumpkin. I’ve been looking for one, but haven’t found anything as nice around Melbourne yet… Toscano is just around the corner, so will try there.
Look forward to seeing the finished product.
25th October 2008 at 11:38 pm
I have been dying to plant pumpkins for years – ever since I read the book Root Shoots and Boots about gardening with your kids… Maybe this will be the year I finally do it!
26th October 2008 at 8:04 am
I live in Florida where pumkins are a dime a dozen and that pumpkin looks better than any pumpkin I’ve ever seen!
26th October 2008 at 11:21 pm
I admire your dedication – we are recently back from overseas and normally I would buy a beautiful pumpkin for around £2 – but here $30.00+. I was contemplating using a watermelon instead….
27th October 2008 at 12:45 pm
I bought mine for $15.00 – I reckon it’s 3 kgs max and last week they were selling for only $2.99 a kilo – not a bad mark up. I too baulked at the price, but by that stage I’d already promised …
27th October 2008 at 4:19 pm
Pumpkin carving is certainly an art..on a silly note I was one of the offenders who left two comments by accident and didn’t know how to delete it..glad to read you evened up the score…enjoy Halloween.
30th October 2008 at 8:25 am
just chuck the pumpkin in a corner of the yard and you will never again need to buy one.
1st November 2008 at 2:00 pm
We had a New Zealander(sp?) friend who brought green pumpkins that grew like mad in her Irish garden. They’re not orange but were much tastier than a hybridized pumpkin from the store.
25th October 2008 at 2:47 pm
I wonder how a pumpkin would grow through our southern winters? I suppose you can find out and report back! Obviously someone is growing pumpkins somewhere at this time of the year.