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Pick your own - Pumpkins
Pumpkins (curcubita pepo)
When available to pick (October)
You may see pumpkins growing in our fields during the Summer months, but PLEAE do not pick these!
Pumpkins are not available as a Summer PYO crop. All of our pumpkin crop is reserved and sold in October during our Pumpkin picking event.
Pre-harvested Pumpkins are also available for sale from our Pumpkin Boutique when it opens in October.
Please see the following pages for more information
Varieties grown
We grow a wide range of pumpkins and squashes in a huge range of sizes and colours from the tiniest munchkins right up to the largest Atlantic Giant varieties.
Caring for your pumpkin
Pumpkins will last for months if you store them correctly and don't cut into them.Many customers prefer to vist early in October when we have the widest selection available.
- Don't carry Pumpkins by the stalk! As we don't have to pack our pumpkins into shipping containers we're able to leave them with lovely long handles but these can be fragile so it's best not to hold pumpkins by their stalk.
- Store your pumpkins out of direct sunlight in a cool, dry environment until you're ready to carve it. Traditionally gourds and squashes were safely stored this way to provide a source of food throughout the Winter months.
- Once your pumpkin is cut open it will begin to oxidise and spoil quite quickly. We recommend you leave carving your pumpkin as late as possible. Should you need to carve your pumpkin in advance, storing it in a fridge will help to slow down the spoilage.
Pumpkin facts
Pumpkins (curcubita)
Pumpkins are a member of the Squash family that were first cultivated in the Americas before being bought to England by returning explorers.
We grow a wide varieties of Pumpkins of all shapes and sizes from tiny munchkins to massive 'Atlantic Giants' we also grow a variety of different sizes of white 'Ghost' pumpkins.
The tradition of carving faces into pumpkins was thought to have originated in Ireland where faces were traditionally carved into turnips as part of the Gaelic festival of Samhain.
Like many other crops, Pumpkins originate from Central America.
Pumpkins can grow to massive sizes and in some parts of the world Pumpkin growing is a competitive sport. In 2021 a world record was set in Italy with a pumpkin weighing 1226 kg crowned as the worlds heaviest Pumpkin. The winners of these competitions can sell their pumpkins seeds for thousands of pounds to growers and enthusiasts.
Pumpkin Pie Recipe
1 750g pumpkin, peeled,
de-seeded and cut into chunks.
350g sweet shortcrust pastry. plain flour, for dusting.
140g caster sugar.
½ tsp salt.
½ tsp fresh nutmeg, grated.
1 tsp cinnamon.
2 eggs, beaten. 25g butter,
melted. 175ml milk.
1 tbsp icing sugar.
Method
- Place the pumpkin in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 mins or until tender. Drain pumpkin and let it cool.
- Heat oven to 180C. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use it to line a 22cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Chill for 15 mins. Line the pastry with baking parchment and baking beans and blind bake for 15 mins. Remove the beans and paper, and cook for a further 10 mins until the base is pale golden and biscuity. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly
- Increase oven to 220C. Push the cooled pumpkin through a sieve into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, salt, nutmeg and half the cinnamon. Mix in the beaten eggs, melted butter and milk, then add to the pumpkin purée and stir to combine. Pour into the tart shell and cook for 10 mins, then reduce the temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Continue to bake for 35-40 mins until the filling has just set.
- Leave to cool, then remove the pie from the tin. Mix the remaining cinnamon with the icing sugar and dust over the pie. Serve chilled