Do you believe we grew the big pumpkin in the photo in 2021? Well I guess that’s believable, what I should have said is do you believe we grew the pumpkin in 2021 and its been sitting in our foyer since then?
After growing it during the 2021 summer we moved it to the porch to cure for several weeks then moved it inside. I didn’t have time to put it up right away so I found a spot for it to sit at the end of the foyer where the living room starts.
I never got around to putting it up.
The big pumpkin set there through Thanksgiving and Christmas that year. My nephew’s daughter found it made the perfect stool for her 🙂
I still never found time to put it up. The pumpkin continued to wait patiently on me all through the early spring and on into planting time.
Before I knew it I was busy putting up food from the 2022 garden. The pumpkin was totally forgotten in all the busyness of the booming bounty.
In 2022 our winter squash didn’t do nearly as well so I was thankful that pumpkin was still sitting pretty in the foyer. Especially after I lost all my pumpkin when our freezer give up the ghost.
But I still didn’t process the pupmkin.
It welcomed visitors for another Thanksgiving and Christmas and helped us ring in the new year. By this time it was beginning to feel like part of the family.
Over the weekend I finally decided it was time to put it in the freezer.
I wondered if the inside would be shriveled and dried, but it was surprisingly still moist. The seeds had turned a brown color but the flesh was still firm and good.
Although I don’t usually let my winter squash sit as long as I did this pumpkin, the longevity of their storage life is what makes them one of our must have things to grow in the garden.
As someone who takes great joy in putting up food—canning, pickling, drying, and freezing, I love knowing the long shelf life of winter squash means I can take my time getting around to either processing or cooking them.
There are all sorts of recommendations when it comes to storing winter squash. Most suggest a cool dark place. The only place I have that sort of fits that is our basement, but it’s way too damp. I’ve also noticed a lot of folks advise wiping the winter squash with a peroxide mixture or damp cloth.
After ours cure on the porch we move them to various places in the kitchen. We dust off the dirt but don’t wet them. I do keep a good eye on them so if I notice one beginning to get a soft spot I can cook it for a meal or process it for the freezer.
I mentioned I was going to sell almanac calendars because so many folks said they couldn’t find them. I knew people were interested, but I didn’t know they would go so fast. If you’d like to make sure you get one you can visit this page.
Last night’s video: I Got Matt a New Cast Iron Grill – He Made Me a Delicious Supper!
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Wondering what variety of pumpkin this is?
Therese-it is a Chamber’s Creek Pumpkin. A friend shared the seed with us 🙂
A few years ago, I wrote a cooking column for the local paper for a few weeks as a favor to a friend. One day, a friend asked me if I’d like to have a roaster. What flashed through my mind was that it could be a chicken or a pan in which one roasts chicken and other meats. I replied « sure » after which I found out that it was a type of squash. I grew up on a small farm, and we always grew squash, but primarily the small ones like the crook neck. And sometimes we grew cushaws.
Well, this squash weighed anout 30 pounds. I wanted to know more about it so that I could write about it for the newspaper column. My research revealed that Cherokee Appalachians
had developed this squash, which could grow to a weight of 100 pounds. It is commonly called “candy roaster” due to its sweetness.
I split the roaster into 4 parts and removed the seeds. After rubbing the tops with olive oil, I laid two pieces cut side down on each of two sheet pans and roasted them at 400 degrees until they got very soft and I could easily remove the pulp with a spoon. I made some pies out of some of the pulp, using a pumpkin pie recipe. They were delicious, even better than pumpkin. I also made bread using a pumpkin bread recipe – also delicious. Then, I froze the rest of the pulp, and it retained its flavor and texture. I would encourage anyone who likes squash to try the candy roaster. .
I had no luck with growing ANY squash this year! I have the dreaded squash bugs & think I will not grow any for a year or two to get rid of the buggers. I don’t want to waste any more of my heirloom Long Island Cheese Squash seeds, that I save. Folks around my way, used to grow pumpkins to feed to their cattle all winter. They would even build sheds to store them.
I love all kinds of squash now, but absolutely hated it when I was young. Of course, the only way anyone cooked it was boiled/mashed with no seasoning of any kind. Yuck! No wonder I hated it. I add sage, honey, & garlic (sometimes some chili powder, too) to mashed squash. That is delicious. I also make roasted butternut squash soup, excellent. I have a great pumpkin lasagna recipe, too. Its quite involved, but very elegant & tasty. And then substitute any squash for recipes calling for canned pumpkin. I have never had a cured pumpkin/squash last that long!
What a beautiful pumpkin! I have to admit, I have never cooked “pumpkin” anything aside from a pumpkin pie, which I used canned pumpkin. What dishes do you like to make with it? Also, do you just cube it up and put it in freezer bags?
Adrienne-thank you! I roast the pumpkin and the scoop out the flesh to freeze 🙂
I had no idea a pumpkin could last so long.
Enjoyed the video of cooking on the new cast iron grill. Back in the ’60s I had one similar to it. They were popular then and called Hibachis. They were inspired by Japanese grills that require little fuel to cook on. Matt will learn that even a half chimney of charcoal might be too much heat. I still have the cast iron grill and sauce pan that I used to fry fish, but the firebox got knocked off the wall onto concrete and broke in half after a few years. Matt can save some propane if he will start his charcoal with isopropyl alcohol. An ounce or so poured into a used tuna can is more than enough to light a whole chimney of charcoal, and it does it fast. It’s cheap, odorless and tasteless, unlike charcoal starter. I keep a pint of it, a butane lighter, and a few foil cat food containers in an ammo box by my grill alongside the chimney. It keeps everything out of the weather and at hand.
Blessings to all . . .
I sure hope you saved seeds from that one. It’s a keeper. (see what I did there?) LOL!
That’s amazing Tipper. Until I started reading your posts I had no idea that squash and pumpkins would last so long.
It reminds me of something that happened when I was a boy. Our canned goods were in the rear of our basement in a section that had stone walls and was built into the side of a hill. One time my dad put a few pumpkins in a crate and sat it back in the cellar. Every time I was sent down to get some canned beans or something I would see these 3 pumpkins. Eventually 2 of them went bad but the last one kept holding on. After probably a year or so I got curious and decided to check out that lone pumpkin. It was light as a feather and had dried completely like a big gourd. I waxed the outside and it had a beautiful color to it. We had it for a long time until someone accidently broke it.
That’s a beautiful pumpkin! I also never knew one would keep so long. Amazing!! Love the new cast iron grill you gave Matt. It was sweet of him to fix supper for you. Ya’ll are such a sweet couple and funny too. Humor in a marriage goes a long way. Have a great Monday everyone!!
I do believe you have set a record – or rather your pumpkin has! It sure is a whopper.
You remind me of the 4 butternut squash in our cool back bedroom that we keep forgetting about. We tried butternut squash soup with one of that crop back in the fall but sadly didn’t care for it much. Wrong recipe I guess, for us anyway. As has been mentioned, I guess our ancestors really liked the self-keeping kinds of crops that would wait for them to get a round tuit or take a hankering for. Gave them a rest from the hard press of trying to get all the must do done.
On a different subject, sorry to learn the deer have found you. The critters if all kind can be awful determined when they find something they like. I expect Matt has a plan in mind about the best way to be a plant conservationist.
I am so glad the pumpkin was still good. I so enjoyed having supper with you and Matt last night. The meal looked delicious. Matt is a good cook and griller! He seemed more relaxed in this video. I’m glad we are getting to know him. I just love your family. Take care and God bless ❣️
Wow, that is one amazing pumpkin! I tried to cure some of my squash after harvesting them in the fall, but apparently didn’t leave them on the porch long enough before bringing them in. I only had one small pumpkin last and I gave it to my sister. Thankfully, I still have plenty of pumpkin and squash in my freezer from the year before, which I need to use so it don’t get freezer burned.
I’ve always loved pumpkins. When I was a kid, my grandmother grew what she called cow pumpkins, which are great for making pies and such.
You’ve got more great ideas than Carter had liver pills! I’d never dream a pumpkin would make it 2 years! That’s incredible in and of itself. I suppose that’s why Native Americans made pumpkin breads, etc all year round. Besides, I think pumpkins have prettier heads than most people I see nowadays (oh my poor eyes.)
Loved the “Carter Liver Pills”. I just snatched up my calender as I hadn’t been able to find one in 4 years. Growin’ up, our calender was from Carter’s Little Liver Pills”, That little pill guy just danced across our days… showing us when to plant. I really try to use an almanac but it just ain’t the same as that red/white calender… so thank you, Sadie, for the memory and thank you Tipper for the calender! That is one little item that will get all bent of shape for its usin”.
I’ve learned so much about gardening since I found your channel. I wish I had your ground and energy. Do you ever have to water? I snatched up two of your calendars, one to share.
Pat- thank you! We usually only water when starting plants 🙂
I snapped up a calendar when I saw they were available in Etsy and can’t wait to get it. I remember something similar from when when we’d get them from the hardware store when I was a kid.
That looks one of the Chambers Creek pumpkins which I gave you seed for – and you returned the favor!
We also had a 2021 pumpkin which I kept down in the basement until between Thanksgiving and Christmas; I worked it up to go in the freezer, and set the seeds aside. Normally, I’ll get plenty of volunteers and don’t plant, but this year I’m going to plant seed from that specific pumpkin.
I ordered one of your Almanac calendars as soon as I saw it Tipper. I had forgotten all about them from years passed. My Granda always had one & often referred to it. She was a great gardener & outdoors lady. I can’t wait to look it over. Thank you so much!!
That pumpkin is so pretty! I have a cutshaw squash sitting on my counter that I need to process, but I don’t know when I’ll be able to get it done. I made a pumpkin pie from one I put up last fall, and boy was it good. It’s fascinating how winter squashes can last so long at room temperature, definitely one of God’s way of taking care of us!
Now that’s a punkin! I didn’t know they would last that long! Looks to me like a really big pie!
I love to grow winter squash and pumpkin but have given up on this due to the requirement of so much space to grow. These are a great addition for those of us who like to store up food for the winter. My counter used to be lined with all sorts of winter squash. and I once grew pumpkins for the Sundy School class to decorate. I have a simple spaghetti squash I bought on sale, and for weeks I cannot seem to get around to cooking it. Great story!
That is simply amazin to me Tipper, who would’ve thought! Are they different than Jack-o-lantern pumpkins (that rarely stay fresh until Halloween when we buy them to sit on our porch’s for decoration purposes only.) I never would’ve imagined!
Wow! That’s amazing to me that it kept that long!
I bet the anticipation of cutting into that pumpkin was heavy! You didn’t know what you would find. Exciting and sad at the same one. Exciting it lasted so long, sad it was time to put it up.
Donna. : )
Ordered mine last night, yeah me. Love watching Matt do his thing on the grill and you guys enjoying his cooking. I bet the girls did envy your dinner. Tonight was the first time I have seen Matt seem to come alive with his expressions. You have given me the urging to check our my seeds and start thinking along those lines. God Bless