Pumpkin Time!
Few things are more gratifying than growing pumpkins.
Plant a few tiny seeds indoors in May, transfer them outdoors in early June, and in four months you will have gorgeous bright orange orbs that scream "Fall is Here!".
We dug out separate pumpkin patch a couple of years ago, when our pumpkin plants began taking over the garden. Pumpkins love space; their tendrils will wander everywhere, and it got so that they spilled out of the raised beds and cluttered the pathways. Luckily, a pumpkin patch is really easy to build. You don't even need a fence, as the prickly leaves and stems keep most pesky predators at bay.
This year, I added corn to the patch, after reading that Native American tribes always planted squash, corn and beans together, coined by the Iroquois as "Three Sisters Planting". In a three sisters planting, the three partners benefit one another. Corn provides support for beans. Beans have bacteria living on their roots that help them absorb nitrogen from the air and convert it to a form that corn and squash benefit from. Finally, the large, prickly squash leaves shade the soil, prevent weed growth, and deter animal pests. The corn and squash worked great together, and next year I will add beans to the mix.
Here is some of the loot from our 2009 pumpkin patch:
And here is Suyematsu and Bainbridge Island Farms: upping the scale!
I mainly grow two varietals of pumpkins. "Howden" are large, round pumpkins, perfect for carving jack o'lanterns. "Sugar Pie" are small, 1/2 - 2 lb pumpkins perfect for baking.
When my sugar pie pumpkins ripen and turn orange, I cook and freeze the flesh so that I can bake with pumpkin all winter long.
To cook, cut the pumpkins in half, and put face down in a 10x14 inch baking pan, filled with 1/2 inch of water. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until soft. Let cool and scoop out the seeds, then scrape out the flesh into a bowl. (Cooking with the seeds in enhances the flavor). Mash the flesh with a potato masher, then freeze in ziploc bags until needed.
Here is one my favorite pumpkin recipes:
Pumpkin Swirl Cake
Plant a few tiny seeds indoors in May, transfer them outdoors in early June, and in four months you will have gorgeous bright orange orbs that scream "Fall is Here!".
We dug out separate pumpkin patch a couple of years ago, when our pumpkin plants began taking over the garden. Pumpkins love space; their tendrils will wander everywhere, and it got so that they spilled out of the raised beds and cluttered the pathways. Luckily, a pumpkin patch is really easy to build. You don't even need a fence, as the prickly leaves and stems keep most pesky predators at bay.
This year, I added corn to the patch, after reading that Native American tribes always planted squash, corn and beans together, coined by the Iroquois as "Three Sisters Planting". In a three sisters planting, the three partners benefit one another. Corn provides support for beans. Beans have bacteria living on their roots that help them absorb nitrogen from the air and convert it to a form that corn and squash benefit from. Finally, the large, prickly squash leaves shade the soil, prevent weed growth, and deter animal pests. The corn and squash worked great together, and next year I will add beans to the mix.
Here is some of the loot from our 2009 pumpkin patch:
And here is Suyematsu and Bainbridge Island Farms: upping the scale!
I mainly grow two varietals of pumpkins. "Howden" are large, round pumpkins, perfect for carving jack o'lanterns. "Sugar Pie" are small, 1/2 - 2 lb pumpkins perfect for baking.
When my sugar pie pumpkins ripen and turn orange, I cook and freeze the flesh so that I can bake with pumpkin all winter long.
To cook, cut the pumpkins in half, and put face down in a 10x14 inch baking pan, filled with 1/2 inch of water. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until soft. Let cool and scoop out the seeds, then scrape out the flesh into a bowl. (Cooking with the seeds in enhances the flavor). Mash the flesh with a potato masher, then freeze in ziploc bags until needed.
Here is one my favorite pumpkin recipes:
Pumpkin Swirl Cake
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