A poem written about the year 1630 by an American Pilgrim " for pottage and puddings and custards and pies our pumpkins and parsnips are common supplies we have pumpkins at morning and pumpkins at noon if it were not for pumpkins we would undoon " . --- I took this peep into 1630 survival technique seriously . This past summer I experimented with heirloom eating type pumpkins . Those seeds I bought was expensive " about $5.00 for 5 seeds . My endeavor succeeded and all 5 seeds produced pumpkins so now I have several hundred heirloom pumpkin seeds . I kept close records on this project so as to have a better idea when to plant next year so the pumpkins will become ripe shortly before frost . The advantage of pumpkins very little preparation is needed to carry them into the winter . I simply hardened mine in the sun and stored them out of the weather in a cardboard box . I just ate a pumpkin pie on Dec. 25 th. made from that stash of stored pumpkins that was about six months old from the day it was harvested . That though is the last of the pumpkins from last years harvest and is about as long as I think they would store using my storing technique . Next year I will know not to plant so early and the pumpkins should stay good until around the first of March . --- Whether someone is fond of pumpkins or not the survival technique of growing and storing pumpkins into the winter months will work just as well in the year 2021 as it did in the year 1630 .
pumpkins are a great food, good producer. I've cooked small pumpkins in a campfire. I dig them out like a jack o lantern and put cut up apple or pears inside, put the top back on and let it cook in the coals. I like it.
Great topic! Busy right now. Will try to keep info short. I like the light yellow "cornfield punkins". Orange pumpkins do not make good pies -- there's something "off" about them in flavor. Orange pumpkins make great jack-o'-lanterns, but that's about it. Gonna search later for what name "cornfield punkins" are known by in other regions. Just like the Cherokee, Southern Appalachian practice is to raise corn, "punkins", and climbers (type of bean) together -- the "three sisters". Runner beans serve this purpose also. "Runner beans" was a common variety grown when I was a kid. However we grew another variety and I don't know its name -- these had a HUGE been pod. My great aunt grew lots of runner beans. .
We grow a small blue variety called "crown prince" which is really sweet when roasted, keeps beautifully and are so easy to grow even in a fairly confined raised bed. We layer compost into the raised bed and plant out the pot grown seedlings. truly delicious.
Wife has got the Crown Prince seeds ready for next year, only we call it Squash down here, I think Pumpkin is what they call them in the USA. we dont plant anything out here until the last frost have been and gone.
Yup, same here LW...that's why we start them off in pots inside the greenhouse. You don't get many seeds to the packet so we're carefull with the seedlings.
yeah we start them off in the sun room, wife saves the seeds from the previous batch. I've also got a stock of heritage non hybrid seeds.
For someone living in a growing zone for pumpkins , I consider pumpkins one of the most valuable crops for survival they could grow . They produce a lot of food per amount of space , easy to grow , store for months after harvest and require not any canning , freezing , refrigeration , or drying . Of course if someone wanted to go an extra step and freeze or can them they would last for years . For me though I will simply be satisfied with them lasting about 6 months in a cardboard box and spend my efforts on canning , freezing or drying on other foods .
