I originally shared this post on December 6th, 2012!

Heirloom Pumpkins from New York

They were too pretty to eat…almost. My cousin Jenny and her boys grew them for their roadside stand in western NY. They traveled all the way to our house with my parents last Thanksgiving and graced our steps until the deep frosts set in. They might have been Jarradale squash or another heirloom. Dad couldn’t remember the name.

I hated to cut them up and eat them. I could only fit one in the oven at a time, and I had to take one of the racks out to fit both halves. It took almost 2 hours to bake. The flesh had a smooth, fine texture and the flavor was excellent…especially with a little pat of butter. There was so much just from one pumpkin, I had to freeze some. To freeze winter squash and pumpkin, cook thoroughly, mash, and pack into freezer containers. Easy as pie. Easier, actually.

 

I stored the other one in the basement for a couple of weeks, along with the 4 or 5 Buttercup squash from Dad’s garden and the half dozen acorn squash I had left from my own garden. The temps in our basement stay around 55 F or so. That’s a little warmer than ideal, but I don’t have a root cellar…yet.

Update: The extra pink pumpkin lasted until well into January before I cut it up and cooked it. This year I have Red Kuri squash…stay tuned to hear more about them!

 

I shared this post on:

The Creative Home & Garden Hop

Frugally Sustainable

http://www.liverenewed.com/tag/your-green-resource