A guide to the best-tasting pumpkins
A guide to the tastiest pumpkins
If you're thinking of visiting the pumpkin patch at Foxes Farm this year, why not pick one up for making a delicious and heart-warming soup too?
I went a couple of years ago, it was a misty morning and the sight of hundreds of orange, green and yellow globes with their huge trailing leaves left me awestruck. We had a great morning but alas only came away with one deemed good for carving. In retrospect I wish I had researched the tastiest types to eat. So, forearmed this year, I shall return, but before I go I thought it would be nice to share with you the top results of Sarah Ravens Which are the Best Pumpkins test conducted last year.
Squash 'Crown Prince'
Beautiful dark, blue-green, verdigris skin. Very similar to 'Queensland Blue' which - this year - was a slightly better producer. The orange flesh is dense - excellent for roasting. Good waxy texture and taste. An excellent storer - I still have one from last year. Seeds horrid. I will certainly grow 'Crown Prince' or 'Queensland Blue' again.
Looks and ornamental longevity 10/10
Eating 9/10
Squash 'Zucca da Marmellata'
Varies wildly in size and an excellent producer, with pretty pale pink-orange skin. Delicious too, golden-orange inside with moist, soft flesh. Used in Italy to make chutneys and jams. Seeds OK. Our favourite squash of all in the taste trial we'll certainly grow them again.
Looks and longevity 8/10
Eating 9/10
Pumpkin 'Munchkin'
Mini pumpkin with bright orange flesh and pleated shape. The flesh is deep orange with a lovely chestnutty flavour and soft, waxy texture. Lovely tiny seeds, which can be eaten whole. A good producer which makes an ideal climbing plant for any garden. I grow these over willow teepees and they look great.
Looks and longevity 10/10
Eating 8/10
Pumpkin 'Queensland Blue'
Similar to 'Crown Prince', but a bit smaller, with beautiful dark, blue-green, verdigris skin. Good producer, with dense orange flesh, excellent for roasting or soups. Good waxy texture and taste. Seeds OK. Another excellent storer - I still have one of these on my dresser from last year. I will definitely grow this again.
Looks and longevity 10/10
Eating 9/10
Squash 'Red Kuri'
Also called 'Uchikiri' and red onion squash, this medium producer has deep orange skin and similar coloured flesh with a lovely sweet flavour and waxy texture. The skin is soft enough to eat. Seeds tough and not tasty. This still remains in my top two or three.
Looks and longevity 9/10
Eating 10/10
Squash 'Cinderella'
Huge and beautiful, with deep red-orange skin, but not a good producer. Lovely, very waxy flesh with a gentle, sweet taste. Ideal for soups. Tough skin. Seeds are OK but not exciting. I would grow it again if I had lots of space.
Looks and longevity 10/10
Eating 9/10
Pumpkin 'Snowman'
Creamy green skin and creamy coloured flesh, turning to lime green around the seeds. It was light-cropping this year but tasted delicious, with a nutty chestnut taste, flesh that was not too dense (but not watery either) and a skin that bakes hard, so ideal for roasting slices or - if you remove the skin - for tempura. The seeds are large and tasty. I will grow this again to see if it produces more fruit in a better, hotter, sunnier year.
Looks and longevity 8/10
Eating 8/10
Foxes Farm Pumpkin Patch has sites in both Colchester & Basildon.
Book now for some half-term festivities
