Pumpkin (winter squash) varieties

[sammason]

I've a question for American and Canadian gardeners. Which varieties of winter squash (pumpkin) do you grow when you want a savoury vegetable, not a pie pumpkin? Here in Britain I grow 'Rarity', formerly known as 'Crown Prince' and 'Buttercup'. This year I've also been given seedlings of 'Uchiki Kuri'. Apparently this one, like Crown Prince and

Comments

[ritaxis]

I don't have enough sunny space for pumpkins but if I did I'd grow Kabocha: it's a versatile pumpkin, useful for any kind of cooking, meaty, with tasty seeds, and it keeps well. I prefer to eat it with chile and cheese, but it also works eaten sweet.

[tezliana]

Interesting you mention Kuri, this year I'm trying Blue Ballet which is also a Hubbard-type. Hubbards reportedly grow well here in the northeast US. Blue Hubbard is the variety typically found at the grocers here come October-November, but those weigh anywhere from 15 - 40 pounds. Too large for me!

The winter squash most commonly found at grocers here are acorn and butternut.

[ravenfeather]

Galeux d'eysines is the only pumpkin type of winter squash I grow, although I also grow butternut yearly as well. It is known as the best pumpkin for soup in France, but I grow it to make pumpkin sage sauce for pasta. I also saute it in a little butter, and eat it for breakfast. It is a really good savory pumpkin, the sugars leaching out of the flesh are what form the "warts" on the skin. I used to buy them as "eating" pumpkins in GA, but when I got here to AR I was surprised to find it very inexpensively sold as a decorative pumpkin. I snatched one up, and have been growing and saving seeds ever since.

[manintheboat]

Cinderella pumpkins, Rouge vif D'Etampes, are lovely and very delicious.