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.

Early Autumn Roses

To be honest, I started to do a post about something else but at the last minute

I decided that the roses in my garden are so beautiful right now that I had to

show some of them to you...

I took all these photos a few days ago and truly feel the roses are celebrating the last

beautiful days of their late summer/early autumn blooms before coming back again in

a few weeks with their smaller, but still lovely, fall blooms.

This week the roses seem to be especially spectacular with a riot of beautiful

colors and blooms.

As you can see, I'm really not in any rush for autumn and winter because those

months seem to last so long.  I feel very fortunate that here in Southern California

our roses will bloom into early November. 

I hope you enjoy seeing these last days of late summer/early autumn roses.

I hope you have a wonderful week!

I will be joining Rose Vignettes for Fresh Cut Friday.
I will be joining How Sweet The Sound for Pink Saturday.

And The Music Continues...

Sorry that I have been a bit absent but I decided to give my knee a little extra rest

after the surgery.  I hope you are all doing well and in the mood to maybe re-live

a bit of a teenage summer.

I know all  our thoughts have turned to the fall season but here in Southern California
there are a few summer things that last well into the fall.  One of these "summer"
things is time at the ocean. There is something very special about the Pacific Ocean in
the fall. And, another one of the "summer" things that continues is The Beach Boys
music. I think that no matter where we live when we  hear The Beach Boys music on
the radio we all become a teenager again.

It was a fun surprise to find that there is a monument in honor of The Beach Boys
childhood home in Hawthorne, California where it all began.  It is located at the former
location of the Wilson home where Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson grew up.  The home
was demolished in the 1980's to make way for a Freeway.

I think when people hear The Beach Boys music they immediately think of the
Southern California lifestyle...surfing, beach parties, beach volleyball, etc.  Their music
was really responsible for people all over the world imagining a lifestyle of fun at the
beach.  Believe it or not, they have been performing for 50 years!

Bricks were donated by family, friends and fans and the bricks are engraved with the
donors names. 
The monument also features a large white stone carving of The Beach Boys carrying a
surfboard and was inspired by the Surfer Girl album cover...

A bronze historical plaque is also part of the monument and marks the California
Registered Historical Landmark #1041...

There are also six gold records each with the name of the original Beach Boys.

Brian Wilson...

Carl Wilson...

Dennis Wilson...

Mike Love...

Al Jardine...

And David Marks...

Brian, Carl and Dennis were brothers and Mike and Al are their cousins. 
David Marks was a neighbor who lived across the street.

It was 50 years ago this past Labor Day that they recorded their first tape which
started an image of California as a place of sun, surf and romance.  Can you believe
it has been 50 years!!!

Construction of the monument was thanks to Scott Wilson, Dennis Wilson's adopted
son.

I happened to have worked with The Beach Boys a few times over the years.  I also
attended one of Mike Love's weddings. I can't remember if it was Mike's fourth or
fifth or sixth wedding.  But I do remember that dj and television host Wolfman Jack
officiated!

I would love to know if you were a Beach Boys fan and if you have any memories of
their music in your life.  Do you know the lyrics to their songs when they come on the
radio and do you still sing along?  Did their music spark your imagination of a certain
lifestyle when you were a kid? Maybe a teenage crush?

I have to admit that when I drive along Pacific Coast Highway and see all the surfers,
The Beach Boys music still goes through my mind...

Coming in at the end of the day...

And the birds are glad to have the beach all to themselves again!

I also had the pleasure of spending a little time again with Terri of La Dolfina and her

husband Chris.  We were able to catch a lovely Malibu sunset and share some good

conversation and celebrate Terri's birthday.

Restaurant Floor

It's always such a treat to see them and be sure to visit La Dolfina to catch up on Terri's

new antique store, The House of Hoarders. I hope she had a fun birthday weekend!

I hope you have a great week.  Now I'm going to have fun catching up on your blogs.