O/T:- Elite's onions!

[Elite_Pie]

You've got a pumpkin in your football patch

Now you tell me! I tried to carve the smaller one but it popped and just went flat.

Should've gone to Specsavers.

[Elite_Pie]

Seeing as someone mentioned my winter veg on another thread, I thought I would provide a pumpkin update:



It weighs in at a mighty 11.4 Kg (25lb) and measures 48" in circumference. It will have a scary face carved into it for halloween, the seeds saved for planting and eating as driller suggested, then I will be searching pumpkin recipes to use the rest.

[jackal2]

Thanksgiving's coming up in the States next month so you could do a pumpkin pie. I've no idea what it tastes like though!

[drillerpie]

Seeing as someone mentioned my winter veg on another thread, I thought I would provide a pumpkin update:



It weighs in at a mighty 11.4 Kg (25lb) and measures 48" in circumference. It will have a scary face carved into it for halloween, the seeds saved for planting and eating as driller suggested, then I will be searching pumpkin recipes to use the rest.

That is huge, I bet the seeds are too. You might have to add a couple of minutes on to however long I said to roast them for!

Pumpkin soup is pretty easy and great for cold, dark autumn nights.

[ncfcog]

That is huge, I bet the seeds are too. You might have to add a couple of minutes on to however long I said to roast them for!

Pumpkin soup is pretty easy and great in a flask for cold, dark autumn nights down the Lane.

Oh, hang on a minute . . .

[Robertomac]

Seeing as someone mentioned my winter veg on another thread, I thought I would provide a pumpkin update:



It weighs in at a mighty 11.4 Kg (25lb) and measures 48" in circumference. It will have a scary face carved into it for halloween, the seeds saved for planting and eating as driller suggested, then I will be searching pumpkin recipes to use the rest.

Good effort!

Out of interest, what do you need to do to preserve and save the seeds for next spring? Just rinse and dry them?

Another silly question, did you just plant the one seed? Or was that just the best of the crop?

[drillerpie]

Oh, hang on a minute . . .

Ahah! To recreate the old matchday experience maybe turn the lights and heating off and watch the livestream in your coat?

[Elite_Pie]

Out of interest, what do you need to do to preserve and save the seeds for next spring? Just rinse and dry them?

Pretty much that. Just rinse the seeds, space them out on a bit of kitchen roll and let them dry for a week or so, then put them in a paper envelope in a cool, dry place until next spring.

Another silly question, did you just plant the one seed? Or was that just the best of the crop?

I planted four seeds in pots in April, and all of them germinated. I only had space to plant three of them out, and one of them died early. One produced lots of flowers, but for some reason the pumpkins started to rot at the end so that plant was binned. The remaining plant was the one in the sunniest spot, and that produced a few fruits. I only wanted one pumpkin for my grandson, so I removed the others to concentrate on one big one. If you do give it a go be aware you need a fair bit of space in the sunniest spot you can find. The plants spread a long way and thrive on warm weather and plenty of water, so this summer was ideal as long as it was regularly watered.

[drillerpie]

One produced lots of flowers

It's going to seem like I only ever eat pumpkins, but you can actually eat the flowers as well! Battered or breadcrumbed then fried is time consuming but very nice.

[Elite_Pie]

It's going to seem like I only ever eat pumpkins, but you can actually eat the flowers as well! Battered or breadcrumbed then fried is time consuming but very nice.

Must admit I didn't know that. You would probably have to pick them young, because they're huge when fully open, about the size of a hand.
They also seem a healthy snack:

"Sometimes we munch our pumpkin flowers straight off of the plant when we’re in the garden. Pumpkin flowers can also be added to salads, dipped in pancake batter and fried, or chopped and used as a garnish. No matter how you eat them, you’ll enjoy knowing that a single cup of pumpkin flowers offers the following nutrients:

643 IU Vitamin A
9 mg Vitamin C
57 mg Potassium
a host of other essential micronutrients to keep you healthy"