Cheeky Pumpkins

It would be hard to beat the pumpkin for cheekiness, though perhaps the chayote (choko) is a close rival.  I once spied a pumpkin tentatively shooting its tendrils through the grey slats of a wooden fence in a barren back lane. Its very presence dispelled the surrounding gloom.
My mother once told me of a pumpkin vine growing over a tall fence: the owner had built steps alongside the fence where the pumpkins could stand or rest as they grew. If you’ve seen those enormous specimens at the Royal Easter Show, you’ll know what she was referring to.
“I regard pumpkins as the most domestic of vegetables, the classic sprawlers over the back fence, the traditional autumn harvest,” says organic gardener Jackie French. “They are easy to grow, often germinating from seeds in the compost heap.
“A gardener has something to show very early with a pumpkin.”
Children, especially, will find much delight and satisfaction growing these members of the cucurbitaceae family (whose summer cousins include zucchini).

Cheeky pumpkins on a vine

In 19th century Australia, pumpkin was the chief vegetable, growing at times to the size of a large bucket.  To this day, it is highly regarded and used in all sorts of imaginative ways.
French chef Alain Passard says he loves pumpkin for the very reason most French people don’t – its subtle taste and mild manner in the kitchen.
“Because pumpkin doesn’t have a very powerful taste, you have to find ways to push it,” he said. One way is to steep it in sugar syrup flavoured with vanilla, lemon and orange, then drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Pumpkin has come a long way from the days when it was fed to pigs.  In France, the best pumpkin is from Brittany where, it is said, the winds “oxygenate” it, bringing it to a perfect stated of ripeness.
According to Passard, what gives pumpkin its unique taste is a hardly discernible petit point of acidity, without which it is bland and lacking in character.
In Australia, the Queensland Blue variety is popular, prized for its colour and flavour and is often used to make pumpkin scones. However, its tough skin can make it hard for the home cook to cut.  Much easier to cut is the Jap pumpkin with its mottled yellow and green skin.

Jap pumpkins

The Butternut, with its pale, almost-beige skin, is also popular.   Best results are obtained by cutting pumpkins into wedges and roasting them at 200degC with the skin on as this caramelises the natural sugars.  When cooked, remove from the oven and take off the skin when cool enough to handle, then use the flesh for soups, scones, bread, gnocchi or as a filling for pies and ravioli.
Over the past few years, Aussie farmers have started to grow the Jack O’Lantern pumpkin, which is a brilliant orange colour and easy to carve into spooky Halloween faces.

Eataly Harvest display

One of the most attractive is the diminutive Golden Nugget pumpkin which is good for stuffing or using as a container for soups, stews and casseroles: just slice a lid off the top, scoop out the seeds fill. Golden Nugget Soup makes an impressive statement at the dinner table.

Golden Nugget Soup