Pumpkin flavour recommendations please?

[Primrose]

Are there any orange pumpkins which are really worth eating in terms of having a quality flavour? My only previous experience of the orange variety was to buy one to make a pumpkin pie and it was absolutely tasteless.
Do they roast at all well? I seem to vaguely remember some correspondence on this topic a while ago.

I've stopped growing winter squashes due to lack of space and now only buy Blue Prince, Butternut or Sweet Dumpling squashes for good flavour . So many of the orange pumpkins sold are not of a named variety - probably just grown commercially for carving and Halloween, and its difficult to know exactly what you're getting

[peter]

Crown Prince a winter squash or steel grey pumpkin, is one of the best flavoured squashes.

[sally wright]

Dear Primrose,
I would recommend Rouge V'if Detamps; this is a French variety but it is available over here. It is a classic Cinderella shape and is a very good orange colour. They keep in good nick until well after Christmas. Uses; soups, stews, risottos and all the usual culinary culprits.

Turks Turban is another good flavoured pumpkin but it can take a while for the flavour to develop after picking and I would usually keep these until the end of November before eating. With these I like to split them in half around their circumference , roast them then scrape out the flesh and mash it well with salt, pepper and butter. I then return the flesh to the lower bowl shaped piece of rind and pop the top lumpy half back on as a quirky serving vessel. Bacon bits are optional but rather yummy. Turk's turbans will keep in good condition well into April if stored properly. Any leftovers are quite good heated and spread onto garlic bread.

I find that both of these take longer than most to grow so make sure that the seedlings are as large as you can get them before planting out and cloche if necessary. Leave the fruit on the plants until the last possible minute to get the best flavour.
Regards Sally Wright

[Primrose]

Sally, thank you for your helpful and interesting post. I like your unusual serving suggestion. Will have to give it a try. I'm sure you're right about leaving some of these varieties to ripen as long as possible. One of the things I love about squashes is their long shelf life as long as you're able to store them in a cool dry place. The only problem is that sometimes the skins get so tough that yiu almost need a hacksaw to carve out a chunk.

Does anybody have any tips on the easiest way to make the first cut and get the first segment out? Once this has been done, subsequent cutting is usually easier.

[sally wright]

Dear Primrose,
a clean (and kept for kitchen use) hacksaw or folding pruning saw. Much less likely to need the services of a surgeon with one of those I would imagine.
Regards Sally Wright.

[Westi]

I always grow Queensland Blue - childhood memories & find it can't be beaten if weather is kind. It's flesh is drier so it keeps it shape but caramelises when roasted & if you want to make scones or bread type things they turn out better because of the drier flesh, & soups take on the heat & spices as not overly sweet.

Not the best year for me as I only have 2, and 2 of some small greenish grey round pumpkins that I will find the name of when the vines die back & the new butternut that tolerates our weather but has a green striped skin which is a bit confusing, also name under the foliage. There might be some more as they have gone up the fruit trees and all along the neighbours fence.

[Geoff]

I always thought if you want Pumpkins with flavour grow Squashes like all the suggestions!

[Johnboy]

Sally reminded me of a special occasion on my gap year in France when my host had taken the biggest Turks Turban squash I have ever seen and had cut the turban downwards to make a lid then hollowed out the bottom section and filled with a fruit salad which was superb and that was on Saturday night and on the Sunday the fruit salad gone she cut the squash into sections and barbecued them. They were superb.