Baking pumpkin or jack-o-lantern?

October 27, 11:22 AMBoston Sustainable Food ExaminerLeah Bloom

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Boston Sustainable Food Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

A variety of pumpkin shapes and sizes

 The New England climate is perfect for growing pumpkins, and New Englanders have a special appreciation for the fruit.  (Yes, pumpkin, with its seeds inside, is considered a fruit!)  

In fact, a recent world record-winning giant pumpkin was weighed in at the Topsfield Fair, and this time of year, Boston abounds with pumpkiny treats.

These large, long pumpkins make the best
jack-o-lanterns

How do you choose the pumpkin that's right for you?

There are two broad categories of pumpkins - baking fruits and carving fruits.  If you're going to carve your pumpkin up for Halloween, you'll want a large pumpkin suitable for a jack-o-lantern.  These big, often oval-shaped pumpkins have relatively thin walls and tend to be largely hollow.  They do have some seeds and stringy bits inside, but they're easy to clean and carve.  Their flavor is often bland, so they're not the best pumpkins for eating.

Sugar pumpkins are ideal for
baking

If, on the other hand, you are going to cook or bake with your pumpkin, you want what's known as a "sugar pumpkin."  These small, often spherical pumpkins have thick, meaty walls and not a lot of space inside.  Because of this, they're much harder to carve than their bigger, hollow cousins, but their flesh is also much sweeter and more flavorful. They're also chock-full of seeds you can dry and roast.

Sugar pumpkins also make great painting pumpkins, especially if you have kids.  Pumpkins are usually sold by weight, so you can buy enough of these little guys for each family member to have his or her own.  If you're going to cook the pumpkins after Halloween is over, don't let them freeze outside, and be sure to scrub all the paint off first.