It’s Halloween, an appropriate day to nominate the Smelly Smallholding’s Daftest Vegetable of the Year 2008. This is a pumpkin which decided to grow inside a pallet!
Luckily the others where more conformist and have stuck to a classic pumpkin shape. This year I grew a variety called ‘Rouge Vif d’Etampes‘ – dating apparently from 1700 and sometimes known as the ‘Cinderella pumkpin’ (its shape inspired the Walt Disney classic), it is also the most commonly grown pumpkin in France.
They have been delicious and very productive (so much so we ate lots when they were small) and the ones I left have grown to a good size, just right for making pumpkin heads on Halloween. All in all a very good variety and definitely one I will grow again.
Kittyboo said
Wow – those pumpkins are an amazing colour. So vivid!
Lisa Paul said
Ha! My British husband, who as a Brit has an aversion to all orange vegetables, says “pumpkin is a silly vegetable.” What he still hasn’t gotten used to over the past 20 years is that, in the fall in America, an orange vegetable is obligatory at every dinner.
Jon in France said
So, have you managed to get the errant pumpkin out of the pallet yet?
Scarlet said
Not yet, it’ll end up being chicken food after I’ve had to chop it into little pieces to remove it. It’s looks so happy I haven’t wanted to disturb it!