What types of pumpkin are there? How do I decorate my home with pumpkins? How do I properly prepare pumpkins? And which recipes are the most popular? Read more now!
Everything about the pumpkin
- What types of pumpkin are there?
- How do I decorate my home with pumpkins?
- How do I make the perfect Halloween pumpkin?
- How do I properly prepare pumpkins?
- Delicious recipes for everything to do with pumpkins
What types of pumpkin are there? – The favorites at a glance
An unbelievable number of subspecies of the tasty and visually appealing vegetables are available – a total of 800 varieties are listed! As a first distinction, a separation into winter and summer pumpkins can be made. The delicious vegetables, which actually belong to the berries, are rather small in summer and are characterized by a soft shell. The winter squash has a hard shell and is significantly larger. I would now like to introduce you to the three most popular varieties as well as the “newcomer pumpkin”.
Hokkaido pumpkin
The delicious, rather handy Hokkaido pumpkin can be used with the shell and is therefore also suitable for quick meals. In its appearance it is reminiscent of a large onion, but reaches a significantly higher weight: it weighs 1 to 2 kilos . Its bright orange peel is edible , which catapults it way up the popularity scale. The pumpkin, which originally comes from Japan, can be wonderfully hollowed out and filled particularly well. The Hokkaido has a fine, nutty chestnut aroma. Its pulp has hardly any fibers and remains firm and stable even after baking. Since it is processed with its bowl enriched with vitamin A, thorough cleaning beforehand is essential.
Nutmeg Pumpkin
The pumpkin is a real heavyweight among pumpkins – up to 20 kilos , the tasty, heavily ribbed squash reach! For this reason, it is usually already available in pieces, which makes processing much easier. It is wonderfully versatile in the kitchen, but its bowl is not edible . During processing, it gives off its fantastic aroma , reminiscent of nutmeg. This variety is preferably used in fillings, but it is also just as tasty and easy to prepare as a pumpkin soup. Due to its special taste, the nutmeg pumpkin is predestined for exotic dishes and harmonizes wonderfully with ginger or chilli. The juicy, aromatic, yellow to orange-red pulp can also be found as raw food in our menus.
Butternut squash
The pear-shaped butternut squash also weighs 1 to 2 kilos and, depending on the degree of ripeness, has a creamy to brownish color. Its buttery, mild, finely nutty aroma makes the pumpkin a popular main course or accompaniment on the plate. Although its peel is inedible , it is so thin that it is easy to remove. But the butternut squash offers a lot of pulp and only a few seeds that are easy to remove. Whether it ends up cooked or on the plate as raw food , the pumpkin convinces with a lot of vitamin C and only little fat, even if his name suggests otherwise. Thanks to its gentle sweetness, the pumpkin is also ideal for delicious cakes and puddings. Often it is already available cut, which makes it easy to work with, but shortens its shelf life. Cut pieces should be stored in the refrigerator and consumed within a week.
Spaghetti squash
A real highlight on the menu is up to 2 kilos heavy spaghetti squash – our newcomer. It presents its oval-round, elongated shape in a delicate cream to sun yellow. In contrast to the cited predecessors, it is more likely to be available in the warm season . The pumpkin got its name from its peculiarity, which it only reveals when it is baked. Cut the pumpkin in half, brush them with oil, sprinkle with rosemary sprigs and garlic and then bake in the oven (at around 180 degrees for 40 minutes). The taste of the fruit flesh reminiscent of zucchini after this process forms spaghetti-shaped threads and can also be eaten straight from the pumpkin – sprinkle with parmesan if you like – done, tasty and original!
How do I decorate my home with pumpkins?
The autumn has arrived in nature and now we want to have the most beautiful parts of the golden season in our home. Which decoration would be better suited for this than the pumpkin ? Due to its variety of shapes and colors, it is a real eye-catcher and the small decorative pumpkins live up to their name.
Pumpkin as a table decoration
Not only the festive table, but also as decoration for every day, you can put your table in the limelight with beautiful pumpkin arrangements . The small, colorful decorative pumpkins are particularly beautiful to look at in large glass lanterns or vases. Play with nature’s products: A large wooden bowl offers space for bright orange mini pumpkins that are successfully combined with berries or pine cones. If you want to make your banquet table modern , combine the decorative pumpkins with trays or small metal flower pots .
Pumpkin as a home accessory
A fun idea is to line up small pumpkins in a straight line along the front edge of a dresser . Fairy lights with cheeky pumpkin faces are ideal for creating a glowing eye-catcher on stair railings or at the window . For the artistically gifted reader: Even the small pumpkins can be hollowed out and carved , for example with faces or hearts , and then equipped with a tealight provide the appropriate atmosphere. If you want to make a statement, welcome your guests with a pumpkin doormat !
How do I make the perfect Halloween pumpkin?
The trend native to the USA is also enjoying increasing popularity in this country. For this reason I would like to give you a little help for the scariest Halloween pumpkin . The giant pumpkin is best suited for the universally popular and well-known pumpkin for Halloween with its imaginative carvings . Usually the pulp is softer and the pumpkin is therefore easier to work with . First, get hold of the materials you will need besides the pumpkin. Important utensils here would be a sturdy knife , alternatively a carpet knife and a spoon , alternatively an ice cream scoop, safety gloves ,Tealight or pillar candle, alternatively a chain of lights , a pen for sketching and a needle .
Step by step to the Halloween pumpkin
- First, cut a lid with a stem in a serrated shape from the pumpkin. It is best to keep the lid on again later if you move the knife inwards at a slight angle.
- Now it’s time to hollow out – if you want to let children help out, this would be the ideal step to keep any dangers to a minimum. The pumpkin should not be too thin-walled when it is hollowed out, so that there is sufficient stability even after the face has been cut out.
- Draw the grimace you want with a felt pen, either freehand or with a stencil , be it vampire, witch or simply the classic scary face .
- Then pierce the lines with a needle , then cut out the shapes with a (carpet) knife.
- Finally, don’t forget to process and enjoy the delicious pulp – Happy Halloween!
How do I properly prepare pumpkins? – Practical tips for your gourmet kitchen
Pumpkins are real all-rounders . Whether for soups , purees , as a main course or side dish – they are always a pleasure! But what is the easiest way to get on the skin of autumn vegetables?
You have to consider this when buying a pumpkin
Are you already unsure about buying a pumpkin ? A simple tap t will help you here. If the pumpkin sounds hollow, it’s ripe . Also, pay attention to the top end: the ripe pumpkin has a woody stem .
Prepare the pumpkin properly
- Since the raw meat is extremely hard, it is advisable to always use a sturdy knife .
- Both the knife mentioned and a practical peeler are suitable for peeling .
- Once opened, the cores and fibers can then simply be removed with a tablespoon .
- An extra tip : Cut the pumpkin in half and then cook it for about 20 to 30 minutes at about 120 to 150 degrees. You can then continue processing it wonderfully.
Spices that are best for making it
Here, of course, the wide world of flavors and aromas is open to you, especially recommended are chilli , ginger , garlic , curry , thyme , rosemary , nutmeg , wild garlic and of course salt and pepper . Since pumpkins often have a sweetish undertone , lemon is suitable as a counterpart or orange juice as a supplement for a new taste experience.
Which pumpkin recipes are particularly tasty?
As a first recipe I would like to introduce you to my Soul Warmer Pumpkin Soup . It is best to cook them in large quantities right away so that you can spontaneously fall back on this delicious dish over and over again during the cold season.
Hokkaido pumpkin soup
Ingredients:
- 2 Hokkaido pumpkins
- 4 onions
- 1 piece of ginger, about 5 cm long
- 1.5 liters of vegetable stock
- 500 grams of cream
- Rapeseed oil
- Curry powder to taste
- Salt, pepper to taste
Preparation:
- Quarter the pumpkins with a knife and use a tablespoon to remove the seeds and fibers inside. Cut the quarters with the peel into large pieces.
- Peel the onions and ginger and roughly chop both.
- Heat the oil in the pan and then fry the pumpkin pieces with the onions in a sufficiently large saucepan. Add the chopped ginger and dust the fried food with curry powder to taste.
- Now pour in the vegetable stock and cream, bring to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes on a low heat.
- Finally, puree the soup and season generously with salt and pepper.
- As a highlight, add roasted pumpkin seeds and a high-quality pumpkin seed oil to the soup.
Pumpkin wedges from the oven
Ingredients:
- 1 Hokkaido pumpkin
- sufficient olive oil
- Salt pepper
- If you like, garlic, chilli, ginger, feta
Preparation:
- Here, too, the Hokkaido pumpkin is ideal. Cut this open and remove the seeds and fibers with a tablespoon. Then cut into narrow slices.
- Then place them either in a high baking sheet or in a large baking dish, drizzle generously with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
- Depending on your taste, the pumpkin can now be seasoned with garlic, chilli and ginger or baked with feta.
- Cook the pumpkin in the oven for about 40 minutes at 180 degrees, then it should be firm to the bite.
Pumpkin risotto
Ingredients:
- 450 g pumpkin meat (for example butternut squash)
- 1 shallot
- 1 clove of garlic
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 50 grams of butter
- 350 grams of risotto rice
- 100 milliliters of white wine
- 1 liter of vegetable stock
- 1 bunch of spring onions
- 3 tablespoons of crème fraîche
- 50 grams of freshly grated parmesan
- Salt pepper
- Parsley, chives or cress as required
Preparation:
- Depending on the pumpkin, first remove the peel, then the seeds and cut the pulp into small cubes.
- Peel and finely chop shallot and garlic. Heat the oil in a sufficiently large pan, then sauté the shallot, garlic and pulp in it.
- Add the rice and sauté briefly. Deglaze with the wine and bring to the boil briefly. Then gradually pour in the hot vegetable stock and stir the risotto until creamy.
- In the meantime, clean the spring onions, remove the green ends and cut into thin rings. Add after about 15 minutes.
- When the rice has reached the desired consistency, stir in the butter, parmesan and crème fraîche, season with salt and pepper and garnish with the herbs.
