Pumpkins: not just for Halloween decoration, they’re a tasty vegetable

Supermarkets are full of pumpkins at the moment in preparation for Halloween.

These particular varieties are grown primarily for their thin flesh and easy to manipulate skin. They’re good for putting a candle in to light up a scary carved face but little else. They’re for fun not for their taste.

If you want proper, well grown sweet pumpkins you have to source them from someone who grows the culinary variety. Charlie Cole at Broughgammon Farm outside Ballycastle has grown some beautiful pumpkins this year. Last Sunday I visited his farm to pick up some of his hoard. He’d had a busy day with people queuing from the morning to buy his fabulous gourds. I didn’t envy any of them the task of carving some of his dense, sweet crop. A good pumpkin should be heavy and hard to cut into with solid hard flesh. These varieties are bred for flavour not for ease of carving. If you want a carver go to aforementioned supermarket and get a thin fleshed. Broughgammon Farm is open today and tomorrow and all next weekend for all your pumpkin needs. They also have a farm shop and coffee shop – all geared up for social distancing.

Frank McCook at Slemish Market Garden in Ballymena grows many different types of squash at this time of year. His daughter-in-law Lori is originally from Virginia USA and knows her onions when it comes to growing gourds. My favourite is Crown Prince – a duck egg blue shell that belies a sweet, vibrant, deep orange flesh. They also grow Kuri, onion squash, Kabocha, Turk’s turban, acorn squash and many more. The sight of them all lined up is truly magnificent and worth the trip to Ballymena alone. They have lots of other great produce and as long as you’re patient and wear a mask, Frank will keep you entertained. His wife Linda is on hand for cooking tips and advice.

A good pumpkin will yield a lot of flesh. My two recipes this week use the pumpkin firstly in a risotto with duck and then in a rosti, combined with potato and topped with bacon chop and egg. If you want to preserve the flesh you could make a pumpkin jam – steam a kilo of chunks of pumpkin until soft and then blend to a smooth puree. Place in a saucepan with 350g castor sugar, half a teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, ground clove, ground nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

Stir frequently over a low heat for about an hour or until jammy in consistency. Lovely with grilled meats or cheese. Or make a pickle liquor of one part each water, vinegar and sugar and simmer with juniper berries and coriander seeds. Thinly slice the pumpkin and add to the liquor for 30 seconds then bottle in a clean kilner jars. Lovely with goat cheese or any cooked meats.

Pumpkins aren’t just for Halloween – they’re a tasty vegetable to be cherished for their limited season.

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