Pumpkin Diversity

that there are so many splendid pumpkins to choose from these days?

Once upon a time the extent of the selection at most markets included the small sugar pumpkins or the standard carving pumpkin, both round or oval shaped with smooth, even toned, orange flesh.

To get anything irregular looking one needed to go out to the farms (not a bad option).

Today, more irregular looking pumpkins are highly desirable. Pumpkin farmers across the country are having a hay-day creating new hybrid pumpkins and growing old heirloom varieties. As a result, the selection of pumpkins, squashes and gourds available in our markets has grown broader each year.

Here are a few of our favorites:

We adore the deep orange-red or pale yellow Cinderella pumpkins, especially when they are adorned with warts, scars and and other disfigurements.

We feel an immense love for these giant pumpkins, which weigh nearly 400 pounds, and are almost big enough to serve as Cinderella’s coach.

These super sized beauties make a stunning display on All Hallows Eve.

Come November…

On a much smaller scale, these petite “pumpkins”,

from branches of a “Pumpkin Tree”(Solanum Integrifolium) are charming little gems. Though they are actually not related to pumpkins at all. The fruit is similar to a pepper.

No carving necessary: Our friends who grew this pumpkin had the brilliant foresight to scratch a smile on their pumpkin while it was growing. They used nails to attach the goard halves as eyes.

Our cool summer weather affected the pumpkin crops in the Pacific Northwest this year. The ghost pumpkins we grew did not get as large or white as we expected,

We love these unique, petite, greenish orbs and can’t wait to display them with candles to welcome our daring trick-or-treaters. If you are in the neighborhood, please DOOOOOoooo stop by.