Category Archives: Pumpkins

Growing pumpkin

According to the Guinness Book of Records, “the heaviest pumpkin weighs 1,054 kg (2,323 lb), was grown by Beni Meier (Switzerland) and authenticated by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC) in Ludwigsburg, Germany, on 12 October 2014.” The New Zealand record (at the time of writing) is a 754.5kg whopper. We have no doubt it won’t […]

Jan, Whangarei.

I was given this tip a couple of weeks ago and it works just fine. When you cut into a pumpkin sprinkle pepper on the cut surfaces and just leave on the bench – no need to refrigerate or remove the seeds. I keep cutting slices off and renewing the pepper. Wonderful and saves space in […]

G.B.

Pumpkins freeze well. Cut into meal sized pieces, clean the pulp from the centres and freeze in plastic bags. Do not thaw before using. Straight into the water or roasting dish for cooking. Alternatively, pulp the pumpkins – freeze in ice cream containers, and use for soup or jam as the time permits.

LM, Paraparaumu Beach.

Make a normal pancake mix using wholemeal flour, cooked and mashed pumpkin, spices, butter, a cup of rice milk, and two eggs. Pour into a pan and cook for a minute on each side.

DF, Whakatane.

My daughter in law served this pumpkin pie dish with a barbecue when we were last in Cape Town but her kids eat it for pudding. This recipe serves 12. Ingredients: 4 cups cooked pumpkin/butternut, 1 cup flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, a pinch of salt, half a cop of sugar, 3 to 4 eggs […]

KJ, Wellington.

Pumpkin muffins. To make pumpkin muffins you will need 2 cups of flour, 1½ cups of sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 egg, ¾ cup milk, ¼ cup cooking oil, ½ cup cooked and mashed pumpkin, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg. Mix all of the dry ingredients together, and the pumpkin, […]

Nettie, Matarangi Coromandel.

While pumpkins are cheap and plentiful I have been scooping out whole pumpkin and stuffing it with flavoursome stuffings of rice nuts herbs and spices. Pop lid you have cut off back on pumpkin wrap in tinfoil and bake for about an hour with roast. Cut in wedges to serve and blend up leftovers with […]

Fantastically frugal pumpkin

We – and many others around Aoteaoilyragaroa – are having fun watching giant pumpkins grow larger by the day. The giant ones are not very edible, but the kids certainly get pretty excited when they see pumpkins growing larger than they are.   But, of course the oily rag garden is not without its ordinary […]