I’m not sure when I first fell in love with growing things. It’s a fascination I can’t recall not having. Of all the things I’ve grown or now grow, pumpkins seem the most magical to me. A teardrop-shaped seed the size of a thumbnail erupts from the earth with a forthright posture that says this sprout has a lot of ground to cover in the 90 days. Make way!
I suspect if I secured a lawn chair, tumbler of ice tea and enough patience to sit a while, I could witness the vine emerge and wend from compost mound to neighboring furrow like a tendrilled snake. It surely seems that pumpkins grow before your eyes.
The pumpkin pictured above is a Galeux d’Eysines ( Cucurbita maxima ). Some call it a wart pumpkin or ‘bumpkin’ because its beautiful buckskin-colored skin is covered with bumpy warts or calluses. The quirkiness of what’s on the outside belies the beauty of what you find on the inside (just like people): firm, flavorful, non-stringy pumpkiny goodness. I’ve chosen this pumpkin for my pie entry in the local farmers market pie baking contest (Vashon Island Growers Association -www.vashonviga.org). Any way you slice it, this pumpkin is a winner in or out of a pie. Stay tuned, I’ll let you know how I fared.
Seed source: Baker CreekHeirloom Seeds
I love this pumpkin, warts and all!
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[…] for its keeping ability. I know of no other winter squash or pumpkin that keeps as well. My Galeux d’Eysines, Musquee de Provence, Long Island Cheese and Winter Luxury Pie pumpkins all tasted great, but […]
Found your site when researching this pumpkin. I am planning to grow it this year and was looking for a bit of info. However, I am in South Australia and a long way away. Nice write up anyway and good growing.
Hi Adrian, I enjoyed a wonderful holiday in Adelaide and the Barossa Valley many years ago. Your country is a stunner. Australia needs to be its own continent merely to hold all that beauty in place. As for the Galeux d’Eysines pumpkin, I bet it will grow like gangbusters for you. How would I know? It’s a guess, but I base it on my success in growing Australian varieties here, like Australian Butter squash, or Queensland Blue. Good luck in you upcoming growing season.
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