Blooming Rose

Blooming Rose

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Do You Know Your Pumpkin's Origin?

*Note: I have never done a re-post before but I have been receiving several emails
asking about a previous post I had written about the heritage of different varieties
of pumpkins.  So, I decided to re-post this from last year.  If you are seeing this for
the first time I hope you enjoy it.  And if you read this last year, I hope you enjoy it
...again!  Oh, and this year I went with the blue/gray pumpkin..

**One more note:  I published this post again 3 days ago but it never notified
people.  I guess this is another blogger problem.  Anyway, I will do a fresh new
post in a few days on an entirely different subject.


A couple of weeks ago I stopped at a local pumpkin patch and was amazed at the
available varieties of pumpkins. I loved just walking around and seeing all the new
and beautiful colors and shapes.

All of this got me to thinking...where did all the wonderful varieties come from?
I was surprised to find many came from France, Italy and Asia, as well as the
United States.

I thought I would just share the heritage of a few of the many varieties we are
now able to enjoy...

A pumpkin that has become very popular is what we call the Fairytale pumpkin.
But its true name is Musque de Provence. It is a mainstay of Southern France.
It is beautifully decorative and in Provence its sweet flesh is also sold in markets
for cooking, as well.



Another pumpkin that hails from France is the Rouge Vif d’Etamps.  We refer to
it as the Cinderella pumpkin. It is a centuries old heirloom which was introduced
to this country in the late 1800’s. In France it is considered to be ideal for pies
and custards. It is a brighter orange than the Musque de Provence.





The French heirloom Galeux D’Eysines Pumpkin is a very popular variety
right now. I couldn’t resist this one. It has a beautifully warted exterior which is
a very soft muted buckskin color. I also understand it makes for a very delicious
pie.


The Blue Jarrahdale pumpkin comes all the way from Australia and is a beautiful
autumn decorative pumpkin. It is a bluish color on the outside but has a golden
orange stringless flesh. It is quite unique.

A pumpkin with Italian heritage is the Italian Marina di Chioggia.  You
can probably tell from the name that it hails from the Italian seaside
province of Venice. In fact, they call it the Sea Pumpkin. It is
a rustic, bumpy turbin shaped green/blue with a sweet orange flesh.



A pumpkin with Japanese heritage is the Speckled Pup Pumpkin which
is part of the Japanese Kabocha pumpkin family.  It really is quite beautiful.

Another Asian hybrid pumpkin is the Rare Frog Pumpkin.  It is a mottled
green and orange which strongly resembles a frog.  It adds to a unique
autumn decor.  It is not recommended for carving.

Now here are a few well known American pumpkins...

The Sugar Pie Pumpkin is an heirloom from the 1800’s and is known
for it’s high quality stringless, sweet flesh for the ever so popular
pumpkin pies!  It is also considered perfect for carving.



The Connecticut Field Pumpkin...

The Long Island Cheese Pumpkin...



The One Too Many Pumpkins...



The Lumina Pumpkin...




Well, these are just a few that I have found lately. 

Do you have a favorite pumpkin?


I am joining Rose Vignettes for Fresh Cut Friday.



27 comments:

Donna said...

Yes I do!

The kind that comes in a can so I can use it for pie :-)
Colorful post - thanks!

a quiet life said...

i love all pumpkins, we have a produce store that has every variety ever grown, like looking at artwork they are all so gorgeous~

Leo said...

Who knew there were so many variations of pumpkins. The warty one is ugly - but I bet is beautiful inside.

Tricia said...

I love the Lumina pumpkin. This year I also bought some squash that I just pretend are pumpkins :)

French-Kissed said...

I adore all of these pumpkins of international origins. The array of colors, the "imperfections". I could easily go pumpkin crazy.

~jermaine

Pondside said...

They're all so beautiful - who could be satisfied with the ordinary old orange pumpkin after that display! I like the warty one best of all.

Privet and Holly said...

What a lovely,
informative
and well researched
post! I loved
learning the history
behind all of these
pumpkins; I don't
think I'll ever take
all of the varieties
for granted, again!
Funny how the white
ones are so popular,
now....I'm old school;
I still love the good
old American orange ones.
Thanks for the lesson!
xx Suzanne

Bella's Rose Cottage said...

Great Info!! I love luminas and the warty ones (I never knew their name so thanks!!). I like to grow them and save seeds year to year (this year was a bad year), but I right silly stuff on my seed packets like big pink and warty cause names are hard to come by :-)))
Thanks for stopping by!
Bella

Linda (More Fun Less Laundry) said...

I think this was so interesting! I love the colors and textures of different pumpkins. I had no idea that some were indigenous to other countries-I thought they were first found in No. America and then traveled back around the rest of the world. Thanks for the info! And beautiful pictures, as always! Linda

Donna said...

Wow, who would've thought that a humble pumpkin could be so beautiful? My favorite are the Cinderella pumpkin, and the blue one. It is so unusual. I am crazy about pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, too!

Unknown said...

I love the pumpkins, but that one with the stuff growing all over it YUCK!! Lol.

Drawn to The Sea said...

The blue pumpkin & the sea pumpkin would look wonderful together... & the warty ones are enchanting :-)

Anonymous said...

What a great post! I would have never thought there was so much information on pumpkins. This was incredibly interesting ~

Thanks!
I like the white ones for inside and the old fashion orange ones for outside - and carving. :)

Happy Fall!
sarah

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

What a fun and informative post! I enjoyed looking at all the varieties of pumpkins, many of which I never heard of!

I like the cheese pumpkins as they make the best pie.

PS: Thanks for your nice compliments ... I really appreciate them! I use the lens my Nikon camera came with. I sometimes crop my photos using the Picasa program to get better close ups. I'm saving for a good macro lens..they are so expensive!

Rose West said...

I didn't know there were so many pumpkins! So cool... I love autumn!

Anonymous said...

It was fun hearing some history about all of these varieties of pumpkins... thank you! My favorites were the bluish/grey one from Australia and the lumina pumpkins. :)

René said...

I do like the white pumpkins this year, but as of yet still haven't purchased a one. Better get on the ball with Halloween a week away.

-Rene

La Dolfina said...

That was such a cool post. Now that I've been properly educated I appreciate them even more. They really are unique and special especially when you get to see them all just once a year. We are so lucky to have such variety now in so many things. I really enjoyed your research on these Fairytale pumpkins. Oh but where did the term fairytale come from?
You're the best S

A New England Life said...

Just look at all those wonderful pumpkins, and I don't even have 1 yet! My poor daughters are deprived!

I really like the ones that are crossed with a hubbard squash, giving them a grey look. I also like the small white ones, as well as the first pumpkins in your post.

Looks like your blog is becoming quite popular ; )

Tricia said...

Such a fun post...I had no idea that one of the pumpkins I bought this year was an Aussie! ;)
Happy Friday to you.
T

French-Kissed said...

Thank goodness for the global exchange of pumpkins...very partial to the French varieties and am loving Australia's contribution. Enjoyed it just as much this time around. All the best,

Jermaine

Unknown said...

Wow! I didn't know my pumpkins at all! :) Thank you so much for all that research. Isn't it amazing how much variety we have these days?!

I appreciate you linking up for Fresh-Cut Friday. This is a great post. :)

~Liz

Mary said...

Oh I love the blue ones, white whites, warty ones...*sigh*. My new favorite is One Too Many Pumpkins :)

Anonymous said...

I can see why you were asked to repost! Incredible. I did come across the peanut pumpkin this year but I really love the long island cheese those are gorgeous, but nothing like that around here I would have bought them all up!
Hugs Rosemary...x

Anonymous said...

P.S. I'm following your beautiful gardening blog. I think it's wonderful how these links allows us to discover other garden blogs!
Hugs!

Blooming Rose Musings said...

Hi Rosemary-Thanks so much for commenting and following. My blog really isn't just a gardening blog,I also do posts on design and antiques and many other things. I hope you won't be disappointed to find it's not really just a gardening blog. I am so happy to meet you and I hope you will enjoy my blog.

LaPouyette said...

Although I'm not really a 'pumpkin person' - I love this post with all these beautiful images and the info!

Thank you!

Warmest greetings,
karin