Carving, cooking, and seeds
There’s a different pumpkin variety for all your needs

By Tracy Schuhmacher, Wickham Farms, Penfield

The pumpkin is such a useful plant that it is easy to see why its use dates back to the Native Americans and the pilgrims. What’s not always obvious, though, is that different varieties of pumpkins are best suited for different uses. The following is a guide to the various varieties of pumpkins and how to use them.

Carving pumpkins

When most people are shopping for pumpkins to carve, they usually look for the basketball-sized orange carving pumpkins sold virtually everywhere in the fall. Those are great, but there are several other pumpkin varieties that will set your fall display apart from everyone else’s.

One popular variety at Wickham Farms is the “Fairytale” pumpkin. These look like the pumpkins in “Cinderella” with a heavy ridged, flat shape. They are very dense and heavy for their size. Their flesh is also delicious for baking.

Another pumpkin popular for decorating is the white “Lumina” pumpkin, shown at the top of this article, which is often featured in decorating magazines. At 10 pounds, they are somewhat smaller than typical carving pumpkins, and when they are carved, they look like ghosts. The flesh of a Lumina is orange, but it’s denser and sweeter than a typical carving pumpkin, so it can be used for cooking.

There’s also what we call “biggies.” These are pumpkin varieties are specifically grown to be big. They will certainly attract attention to your fall display, but bring out the power tools to if you want to carve them! In addition, Wickham Farms also grows other varieties – warty reddish pumpkins, green striped pumpkins, and so on. These vary from year to year, so stop by – you never know what will strike your fancy!

Pumpkins for cooking and baking

The most popular kind of baking pumpkins is small pie or “sugar” pumpkins that usually weigh between four and ten pounds (pictured below). The flesh is oranger and sweeter than carving pumpkins.

Making fresh pumpkin puree is easy. There are four steps to preparing pumpkin puree:

1. Scoop. Wash the pumpkin. Cut it in half and scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff. Don’t forget to save the seeds!

2. Cook. To bake it in the oven, place the cut sides down on a baking sheet and bake at 350° until soft, about 45 minutes to one hour. A quicker alternative is to steam the pumpkin in the microwave. Cut the pumpkin into large chunks and put it in a glass bowl with a little water. Cover it with plastic wrap and then cook it on high until it is soft. Start checking after about 10 minutes.

3. Puree. After the pumpkin is cool, scoop it out of the skin and puree it in a food processor or blender until it is smooth.

4. Strain. If you plan to use the pumpkin puree in a recipe that calls for canned pumpkin, you’ll need to strain the puree. Line a strainer with coffee filters, cheesecloth, or an unused cloth diaper. Spoon the cooked pumpkin into the lined strainer. Put the strainer in a glass pie plate or large bowl to catch the drained liquid. Let it drain in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

Pumpkin puree freezes well. Measure the amount you need for your favorite pumpkin recipes into a plastic storage bag. Squeeze out the extra air, label, and freeze. Thaw before using in your baked goods. You’ll be able to enjoy the flavor of fresh pumpkin puree for months.

Seeds

While you can roast and eat the seeds from just about any pumpkin, Wickham Farms grows a variety that is popular just for its seeds. The seeds of “Snack Jack” pumpkins are “hull-less” and delicious.

To roast pumpkin seeds, just remove them from the pumpkin and get rid of the stringy stuff. Spray them with a little cooking spray, sprinkle with Kosher salt to taste, and bake at 350 for 15 – 20 minutes. Stir them a few times while they are baking.

Procuring Pumpkins

Wickham Farms, which has all of these varieties of pumpkins, is located on Route 250, ¾ mile south of Atlantic Avenue in Penfield, NY. Look for the new red barn! In October, Wickham Farms is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; the train and hay ride runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.

In addition, Wickham Farms also has three U-pick locations:

Victor – Maple Avenue just south of the village

Perinton – Route 31 just east of the Egypt Fire Department

Perinton – Directly across from Lollypop Farm on Victor-Egypt Road.

When you're shopping for pumpkins on a farm that specializes in them, jot down the names of these varieties and bring them along. Decide what your main purposes are, and make sure you get the right kind of pumpkin to suit your needs. In any case, pumpkins are inexpensive and plentiful in the fall, so why not try out the many different varieties and decide on your own favorites.