Pumpkins, which botanically belong to the berries, come in different sizes, shapes and colours, with the largest pumpkin species weighing several hundred kilograms. In addition, a distinction is made between edible gourds and smaller, poisonous ornamental gourds. The selection of edible pumpkins is huge, with some pumpkin varieties being particularly popular thanks to their taste and the variety of processing options, as the following overview shows.

pumpkin varieties

Baby Bear

One of these types of squash is the Baby Bear squash. As the name suggests, it is rather small with a diameter of 10-12 cm and a fruit weight of 500-900 g. Characteristic are its flat, round, brownish-orange and slightly ribbed shape and its dark yellow flesh. A plant produces around 5-8 fruits, which take around 100 days to ripen.

The Baby Bear is not particularly robust and its durability is comparatively poor. This particularly high-yielding variety can be stored for 2-3 months. Harvest time is from August to November. This pumpkin can be used very well for making jams, soups, cakes and for filling. It is also very suitable for carvings, for example for Halloween.

baby boo

With a weight of between 100 and 200 g, the Baby Boo is also one of the smaller types of pumpkin. Its white to cream-colored shell and flat, round, slightly ribbed shape are striking, the counterpart to the orange Jack be little. Its fruits, which ripen between September and October, reach a diameter of just 5-8 cm and a height of 3-4 cm.

The flesh is about 1 cm thick, floury-sweet and crunchy with a nutty aroma resembling chestnuts. It can be eaten raw and with the skin on, as well as filled, deep-fried or au gratin. In addition, it is well suited for decorative purposes. The maturing time is about 95 days and the long shelf life of up to seven months is impressive.

Cucurbita moschata, musk squash, trumpet zucchini

bishop's hat

The bishop's cap, also known as the Turkish turban, is one of the types of pumpkin that are both decorative and edible. This flatter, round pumpkin owes its name to its unusual shape, which resembles a bishop's hat or a turban. This is due to adhesions in which the mostly different-colored, bulging pulp forms around the ring-shaped central part, the base of the flower.

The most important thing about the bishop's cap here in a small overview:

  • Bishop's cap is the collective term for other sub-types
  • these pumpkin varieties differ mainly in their coloring
  • they produce fruits weighing up to 2 kg
  • In contrast to other types of pumpkin, only the pulp is edible here
  • the shell is inedible
  • Flesh has a strong, aromatic taste
  • Can be kept for up to 6 months when stored in a cool and dry place
  • Pulp is mainly used for soups
  • hollowed-out bowls are good for serving

butternut

The butternut squash is one of the so-called musk squashes and is one of its best-known representatives. It has the elongated shape of a pear with a yellowish to pale yellow skin and can weigh 1-2 kg. There are also numerous sub-varieties of butternut. It owes its great obesity to its buttery to nutty aroma and the sweet, quite spicy and creamy taste.

This pumpkin contains only a few seeds, so the pulp is particularly rich. It is easy to peel and can be stored for up to a year. It is suitable for all types of preparation. Like many other pumpkin varieties, it can be used raw in salads and is ideal for roasting, baking, steaming, for soups or to refine Asian dishes.

Tip: Both the aroma and the color of the pulp intensify during storage. Another advantage of this variety is the comparatively high carotene content.

Yellow hundredweight

The yellow hundredweight, also called giant hundredweight, is a classic representative of the genus of giant pumpkins (Cucurbita maxima) and is one of the largest pumpkin species with a weight between 20 and 50 kg and a diameter of about 50 cm. As a rule, it is flat-round, rusty and rippled with a yellow-orange colour.

The bright yellow and very water-rich flesh is protected by a hard shell that must be removed before consumption. It has a mild aroma and can be processed very well in raw vegetable salads, soups, casseroles, jams, compotes or cakes. In addition, it is one of the types of pumpkin that is perfect for carving eerily beautiful pumpkin faces. At temperatures of at least 15 degrees, the yellow hundredweight can be stored for 2-3 months.

Hokkaido

In an overview of the most popular pumpkin varieties, the Hokkaido from Japan should not be missing. It is one of the giant pumpkins, although it remains relatively small with an average weight of 1-2.5 kg. It is also known as chestnut or onion squash.

  • Hokkaido squash has a broad, rounded, onion-like shape
  • Pumpkin has an intense orange color
  • Shell relatively hard when raw, but softens when cooked
  • The flesh is firm and low in fiber
  • It is harvested in late summer or autumn
  • definitely harvest before the first frost
Hokkaido pumpkin

As long as the pumpkin is intact on the outside or the shell is completely closed, it can be stored at temperatures of around 10 degrees for up to 6 months. Its nutty taste, slightly reminiscent of chestnuts, unfolds in soups, desserts, gratins or when baked. It is also easy to fill. For those new to pumpkin growing, the Hokkaido is the perfect starter pumpkin.

Hokkaido pumpkin

Tip: Clear signs that a squash is ready to harvest are a hard skin, a hollow sound, and a woody stem. Speaking of stem; If the pumpkin is to be stored, it is important that a 5 cm long stalk always remains on the pumpkin.

Howden Squash

The Howden pumpkin is a breed from the 1970s. It has a round shape, flattened at the top and bottom, and has a slightly ribbed surface. Its average size is 25-35 cm. In addition, it weighs up to 12 kg. The thick, light orange-colored flesh is usually of very good quality and has a fine, slightly sweet pumpkin aroma.

Like many other types of pumpkin, the Howden squash is also very suitable for making soups, jams, purees and cakes. 2-4 fruits are formed per plant. It takes about 115 days to harvest. After that, this pumpkin can be kept for 4-6 months at temperatures between 10 and 15 degrees.

Cucurbita, pumpkins, squash blossom

Jack be little

Jack be little is one of the most decorative types of pumpkin. In addition, it is a very tasty squash. Externally, Jack be little, which is one of the mini pumpkins, is the orange counterpart of the white Baby Boo. It is flat round with a deep stem and a diameter of 7-9 cm.

Its weight is between 150 and 350 g. Each plant bears about 5-8 fruits. Its slightly sweet taste is very close to that of the Hokkaido pumpkin. However, the shell must be removed before consumption or further processing. Eaten raw, the Jack be little is quite crunchy, boiled or cooked it has a slightly floury consistency. It takes about 95 days to ripen. When harvesting, leave a small stalk on the fruit.

nutmeg

Like the butternut, the nutmeg pumpkin belongs to the musk pumpkins and is the largest representative of this genus. It owes its name to the spicy nutmeg scent that it exudes after cutting open.

Here are the most important facts in a small overview:

  • it has a flat round, thick and very strongly ribbed shape
  • The skin is initially green and becomes beige-orange-brown as it matures
  • Nutmeg pumpkins can reach a weight of up to 35 kg
  • it contains only a few nuclei
  • Skin is not as hard as that of other gourds
  • the flesh is bright orange to salmon-colored and fine-grained
  • it is very aromatic with a fruity-sour taste
  • the peel of young pumpkins is also edible
  • in older specimens, the shell must be removed
  • Nutmeg squash can be eaten raw or cooked
  • it gives soups, desserts and salads a special touch
  • Can be kept for up to six months if stored in a cool and dry place

Tip: In terms of taste, the mouse cat squash is an exception in that it tastes best when it is not yet fully ripe.

Patisson

The small patisson belongs to the flat-topped pumpkin species. Its lenticular and flat shape is reminiscent of a UFO or a discus. There are monochromatic white, yellow or green specimens of Patisson, but also those with green stripes or yellow and green spots. These pumpkin varieties can reach a diameter of 7-20 cm. They are usually harvested when they are unripe. This is when they are at their most tender and tastiest, and the skin, which is still very tender, can also be eaten. The older they get, the harder the shell becomes.

Cucurbita, patisson squash

Older fruits are usually not inedible, they are usually a bit woody. That is why young fruits in particular are considered a delicacy, whether they are raw, fried, stewed, steamed or boiled. They do not have to be peeled and can be eaten or processed with seeds. The rather tasteless Patisson is also very suitable for pickling, as a vegetable preparation or for filling. Regular harvesting leads to the formation of new flowers and fruits.

Pink jumbo banana

This pumpkin is an insider tip among pumpkin lovers. True to its name, it resembles an oversized, approximately 40 cm long banana in an extraordinary piggy pink. Not infrequently, this pumpkin can reach a weight of 30 kg, with weights of 5-20 kg being the norm. The dark yellow to orange flesh is of excellent quality. It's firm, thick, dry, and downright sweet with a subtle pumpkin flavor.

It takes about 100 days to fully ripen. In the kitchen, the Pink Jumbo Banana can be processed into all conceivable dishes, from soups and purees to vegetables, gratins and casseroles to roasts, cakes and jams. Under optimal conditions, this pumpkin can be stored for 3-4 months.

Red Hundredweight

Like the yellow hundredweight, the red hundredweight is one of the large pumpkin varieties. It has a flat-round, ribbed shape and can weigh up to 10 kg. The skin is reddish orange and the flesh is orange and very economical. It is fine-grained, somewhat watery and has a slightly sweet taste. The fruit can be used to make delicious raw vegetable salads, soups, casseroles, vegetables and jams, and it is good for pickling. The first fruits can be harvested after about 80 days. They can be stored for several months.

Spaghetti Squash

At first glance, the spaghetti squash looks like a melon. One of the finest varieties of squash, it is oval in shape and has a smooth pale yellow skin with elongated green stripes. The fruits reach a diameter of 20-30 cm. The yellow to orange flesh delights with a nut-like, slightly sweet taste.

While the pumpkin is rather inconspicuous on the outside, a real surprise awaits inside, to which the spaghetti pumpkin owes its name. After cooking, the fibrous pulp forms spaghetti-like threads that can be served like normal spaghetti. This pumpkin is usually cooked whole. It can be stored for a maximum of 3 months.

sweet dumplings

With a diameter of 8-10 cm and an average weight of approx. 600 g, the Sweet Dumpling is one of the smaller types of pumpkin. It has a round, ribbed shape and is cream in color with dark green stripes. The yellowish flesh is firm, pithy, fine and not fibrous. It has a sweet and nutty, chestnut-like flavor with a subtle pumpkin aroma. Sweet dumpling does not need to be peeled. In addition to being used in soups, it can be used for grilling, desserts, cakes and tarts, but can also be prepared like fried potatoes. It can be stored for a maximum of 2 months.

Cucurbita, pumpkins

useful information

What you should know about pumpkins

The previous overview contains only a small part of the pumpkin species and pumpkin varieties that are suitable for growing in the garden. Their pulp is not only tasty, it also contains many valuable ingredients, another reason to grow pumpkins in the garden. With an intact skin, they can be stored for weeks or months, depending on the variety.

Avoid planting them next to cucumbers and dill. Better is a planting with potatoes, corn, kohlrabi or marigolds. When buying pumpkins, you should use smaller specimens with a stem if possible. As a rule, their flesh is firmer and less fibrous. In addition, the taste is more intense than with larger fruits.

Unlike squash species, which are suitable for consumption, ornamental squashes are only suitable for decoration, which is due to the poisonous bitter substance cucurbitacin. If you're not sure what kind of pumpkin it is, a simple taste test can help. To do this, take some fruit pulp in your mouth. If it tastes bitter, the bite should be spat out immediately, because then the pumpkin is inedible.

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