Gourd-geous pumpkins
Pumpkins have carved a special place in our hearts - and our countryside.
Once an exotic import, these jolly golden gourds have become British autumn icons, lighting up our fields for a short but dazzling window in October.
Across Britain, farmers grow between 10 and 15 million pumpkins every year - and here on the PYO, Dan and the fruit farm team lovingly hand sow and plant 20,000 pumpkins and munchkins in May ready for October harvest.
From striking white Ghost pumpkins to tiny munchkins, stripy Carnival, and classic orange Sugar and Cinderella pumpkins, we’ve expanded our range to be ready in time for Hallowe’en.
Pumpkins are 90 per cent water, which makes them both demanding and delicate. Too much rain and the rot sets in; too little - as we had during our long, hot summer - and the fruit fails to swell.
To counter our dry summer months, Dan set up an ingenious irrigation system with a lattice of pipes laid after planting, and fed with recycled water from the Vitacress watercress farm just down the road in St Mary Bourne.
Pumpkins grow on top of the soil and, after a couple of months, the vines and leaves and vines spread out, followed by the pumpkin fruit itself.
Pumpkins were first recorded as far back as 5,000BC, but didn’t become familiar in this country until New World explorers brought them to Tudor England in the 16th century.
Globally, pumpkins have long enjoyed cutural significance. In the US, where carved orange and white pumpkins decorate verandahs and doorsteps every Hallowe’en, the Jack-o-Lantern tradition arrived via Irish immigrants who once carved turnips to ward off wandering spirits.
In Mexico, the pumpkin - or calabaza - features on Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) altars and its sweetened flesh is used to make traditional sweets.
Across Europe, pumpkins, squash and gourds are also celebrated in autumn festivals, from Portugal’s carved coco faces to Germany’s giant pumpkin fairs and Austria’s vibrant autumn markets.
And once you’ve carved them, don’t throw them out! The sweet flesh is delicious in velvety soups, roasted in salads, or baked into rich, spiced pies.
We look forward to seeing you at the PYO this pumpkin season. Grab your wheelbarrow and celebrate the magic of autumn with a jolly orange pumpkin or two!
