Great Harvest

Post by **Brian** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 2:59 pm

We are having a great gourd and pumpkin harvest at the moment. The weather this year has been perfect and some of the Mammoth Pumpkins have been weighing in at between 70 and 80lbs. I weighed two today, one weighed 57lbs the other, a small one was 28lbs.

We grow them for Halloween and a local restaurant. So far this year I have cut and brought home four trailer loads on Tilly and still have 120 left in the field.

Anyone for pumpkin pie?

Bensdexta · Post by **Bensdexta** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 3:25 pm

Brian,
That's a fantastic crop

I read that they can be dried/cured and stored for up to 3 months. Do you store them at all? If so how long for? Otherwise that's alot of pie for one sitting

All the best,

Post by **Brian** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 4:56 pm

We sell as many as we can, I have sold 6 this morning.

You can store them, my father used to say, in his youth, they were hung in nets in the rafters of the cottages but that was back at least 90 years. Today we put some in the freezer for pumpkin bread. We are not keen on pumpkin pie or soup but we can't get enough of the bread.

Even then, a 57lb pumpkin is going to go a long way!

The gourds are lovely, cut into chunks and baked with bake potatoes for the Sunday roast. They taste like chestnuts. I made beef stew for tea the other night and used part of one in that. We also had a stir fry which I used some in. Both were very tasty. That one was called an Uchiki Kuri. The one that is my great favorite is a Spaghetti Marrow. Filled with minced beef and onions.

This year we also have huge Queensland Blue squashes and Turks Turbans. All are very good for people with wheat allergies.

Of course, as the pantomime season approaches, we get lots of call for large pumpkins and white mice!

Bensdexta · Post by **Bensdexta** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 7:38 pm

Brian,
Thanks for the explanation.
How easy are pumpkins and gourds to grow? Have you any tips?

All the best,

Mervyn Spencer · Post by **Mervyn Spencer** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:00 pm

Sure is a good crop Brian. Interested in your pumpkin bread, never heard of it before.

What maybe strange to some is the pumpkin porrage that I used to enjoy as a young lad on my parents farm.

I planted out 5 queensland blue pumpkin seedlings about 2 months ago and they starting to look good. Plenty of male flowers over the last two weeks. Female flowers started appearing this weekend so looking forward to some produce in the next two month. I just love the queensland blue pumpkin.

Brian can you tell me what you spray on your pumpkins to keep the wasps off that lay their eggs in the young developing ovary?

Post by **Brian** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:55 pm

Ben,
We plant them in 8' rows about 3" deep and about 2' apart. Use the onion planter with Ann on the seat dropping the seed in. Then hoe and rotovate between the rows until they cover the whole area with vines. Then just watch them! They get a bit weedy but are very strong and vigorous so weeds are no problem.

This year we have had a very dry year on this side of the country. About 15mm in the last 40 days but they have grown huge and numerous.

We have had some years when we have had a total crop failure and others when we have had to plant twice because the crows got to them so its about time we had a record year.

Mervyn,

We don't get any insect problems just crows when we first plant and rabbits when they first come through.

Our Queensland are the larges I have ever grown this year and we have a large number.

I will swap a recipe for pumpkin bread for a recipe for Queensland Blues.

Bensdexta · Post by **Bensdexta** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 11:29 pm

Brian wrote:We plant them in 8' rows about 3" deep and about 2' apart. Use the onion planter with Ann on the seat dropping the seed in. Then hoe and rotovate between the rows until they cover the whole area with vines. Then just watch them! They get a bit weedy but are very strong and vigorous so weeds are no problem.

Brian,
Have you a pic of your onion planter, ideally with Ann in action??

All the best,

Mervyn Spencer · Post by **Mervyn Spencer** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 8:37 pm

Brian, you've got me there "Queensland Blues" ??? probably I'm not up to date with that jargon. Please explain

Can you please put up some pics of your queensland blue squash. Whats the difference between queensland blue squash and what I refer to as the q b pumpkin???

Post by **Brian** » Wed Oct 21, 2009 11:21 am

Mervyn,

A selection from yesterday's load. We transport them on chopped leaves from the garden to keep them from bruising.

The Queensland Blues are at the back, Turks Turbans are self explanatory when you see the picture, Uchiki Kuris are the orange ones and I added a small Spaghetti marrow, one of the few small ones we have.

A young lady came over from the local care home for some pumpkins for table decorations. We had great difficulty in finding ones to fit on the tables!

Mervyn Spencer · Post by **Mervyn Spencer** » Wed Oct 21, 2009 5:33 pm

Hello Brian, nice variety of pumpkins you have on your trailer. Very clever idea of yours to use leaves to prevent bruising. I take it that the turks turbans are the pumpkins with the big navel? Next season you may have to plant some mini pumpkins for the lady who visited you for table decorations.

Hopefully my pumpkin patch produces some babies so I can also send some pics to the forum.

Cheers

Grani · Post by **Grani** » Thu Oct 22, 2009 2:27 pm

We have sometimes big ones over here in Finland. This pumpkin is 815 lb or 370 Kg.
http://www.hs.fi/kaupunki/artikkeli/L%C ... 5249625438

Post by **Brian** » Thu Oct 22, 2009 3:10 pm

Grani,

J-P grows them in Finland but I don't think he has managed one that big!

The supermarket here are selling small ones but we have a market for the large.

Local restaraunts seem to want them, a local Tai one took two 65lbs ones yesterday and another local care home took pumpkins, Turks Turbans and Uchiki Kuris for table decorations. Care homes and schools seem to be good customers! We had to deliver seven to the local special school as well yesterday when we went to get our flu jabs. Not Swine Flu though, just the normal sort.

John-Paul · Post by **John-Paul** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 4:06 am

Indeed - we had one great year for ornamental gourds but recent years have had bad early frosts

That's a fantastic looking harvest Brian.

Here's an interesting - if slightly creepy - idea that folks might like to try next year:

Farmer grows pumpkins with human faces

No that's not a spelling mistake

Post by **Brian** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 10:08 am

J-P,

That is really spooky!

We had a green and yellow one this year where it was mostly green and the yellow patch was the shape of a witch on a broomstick, complete with pointy hat! Needless to say that sold quickly.

We had about six trailer loads off our small patch. We have had some great cards from the care homes and schools where we donated them. The hotel where you stayed has had them all out in front and has been selling them. They took all the ones over about sixty pounds in weight.

Ann has made some terrific pumpkin pies this year. I don't usually like them but one with a whiskey and ginger additive is very good. Pumpkin mash is also very good this year and the pumpkin bread is out of this world!

Have a look at Taste.com.au Over 500 recipes from all around the world.

Post by **Brian** » Sun Nov 01, 2009 8:12 pm

Been a damp and grey day here today with high wind and driving rain, so its been a "Working in the Kitchen" day. We have been roasting Queensland Blue's" and turning them into mash with a little butter and pepper. Fantastic sweet nutty flavor. Made a whole load to go in the freezer.

Ann turned one of the "Hundredweight" into pumpkin pies and, because we have a lot of apples, she has been making apple pies and tarts also for the freezer.

This weekend we have been in pickled onion production as well, and have made around 40 large jars so far. My mother made great pickled onions, they were not for the fainthearted, they were very hot. We have grown our own chillies and used them this year.

My mothers onions were legendary at Wrights. She used to send jars of them in for the lads in the workshop and they are still remembered today, so when my friend Terry found me a set of new Fordson vacuum governor pipes for Richard and me a Ransomes TS54 two furrow plough for Dotty, he got a jar of "Grandma Rose Dye Onions" made by the second generation, Ann Dye, as an extra thank you. Terry works part time at my second hand dealer friends setup.

On seeing the onions on the workbench, one of his colleagues, David, said they looked really good and would love to try one so Terry opened the jar for him. He chose one of the biggest and popped it straight in his mouth. Terry said he went an unhealthy shade of red as he bit into it and started clutching his throat.

Seems he was used to the weak and watery variety of onions sold by super markets!

Terry,being made of stronger stuff is enjoying the rest of the jar and would like another for Christmas.

Think I will try David on "Brian Dye's Atomic Horse Radish Sauce". That will really lift the top of your head! It is THE thing to have with your joint of roast beef, according to my family and friends!

MAXPOWER · Post by **MAXPOWER** » Wed Feb 03, 2010 8:42 pm

had a decent harvest last fall, grew one over 1200 pounds

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43081779@N06/3967059940/

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Wed Feb 03, 2010 10:59 pm

Whoa! now that would make a big pie!!
What kind of fertilizer did you use?
Cat looks comfy.

MAXPOWER · Post by **MAXPOWER** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 4:27 am

Mark: cow manure,fish fertilizer,kelp,molasses and a few other organic addmendments.

essex pete · Post by **essex pete** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 2:46 pm

Some amazing photos there, you would scarcely believe it was UK
Brian