I would like some advice on growing a very large pumpkin. I have been told
that I should snip off all the fruit but one. Any other advice?

simon

Howard Dill of Nova Scotria, Canada sell pumpkin seed. He is the
developer of a giant strain of contest pumpkin. I believe the winning
pumpkins are now over 1000 lbs. See:

http://www.howarddill.com/


Farmer John

"Simon Stenkle" wrote in message
...
I would like some advice on growing a very large pumpkin. I have been
told
that I should snip off all the fruit but one. Any other advice?

simon

In article ,
"Simon Stenkle" wrote:

I would like some advice on growing a very large pumpkin. I have been told
that I should snip off all the fruit but one. Any other advice?

simon



I have not done this since I was a teen but you can milk-feed a pumpkin
to make it grow huge. I don't remember all the particulars but you have
to make a small incision in the vine and insert a wick that goes into a
container containing the milk. I advise you to look it up on the web
under maybe "milk-fed pumpkins". It works very well but you have to
guard against bacterial or insect infection.

Awhile back I wrote in part...

...There's two pumpkins growing (looks like one's going
to be a monster) but the rest have yellowed and dropped off at about
one inch diameter. I'm assuming it's a pollination problem, but
might there be some other problem?

The "monster" stopped growing at about 15 inches diameter but it and
the other original pumpkin have both turned a typical pumpkin orange
color. One is destined to become Thanksgiving time Pumpkin Ale and
will be coming off soon enough to allow for the couple of months
brewing and aging. I'd like to use the other for Thanksgiving cooking
if it'll keep that long. If I take 'em off too soon I'm afraid they'll
begin to rot in our current hot and humid SoCal weather; but, I've read
that leaving early pumpkins on the vine will result in the same.

Question: how long can I leave these early pumpkins on the vine before
they'll start to deteriorate?

The plant itself is resisting my interference in it's sex life, but
I have managed to set one more pumpkin for sure and one more for maybe.
I keep trying...

Rich

--
Everything that is really great and inspiring is created
by the individual who can labor in freedom.

-- Albert Einstein

Rich McCormack (Poway, CA)

Who is Rich McCormack? Find out at...
http://home.pacbell.net/macknet/

On Thu, 31 Jul 2003 15:46:16 GMT, Rich McCormack
wrote:


Awhile back I wrote in part...

...There's two pumpkins growing (looks like one's going
to be a monster) but the rest have yellowed and dropped off at about
one inch diameter. I'm assuming it's a pollination problem, but
might there be some other problem?

The "monster" stopped growing at about 15 inches diameter but it and
the other original pumpkin have both turned a typical pumpkin orange
color. One is destined to become Thanksgiving time Pumpkin Ale and
will be coming off soon enough to allow for the couple of months
brewing and aging. I'd like to use the other for Thanksgiving cooking
if it'll keep that long. If I take 'em off too soon I'm afraid they'll
begin to rot in our current hot and humid SoCal weather; but, I've read
that leaving early pumpkins on the vine will result in the same.

I think you could cook, puree, and freeze the one you want
for Thanksgiving cooking.

Hmmm....'Putting Food By' says you can freeze it thusly:

----------------
Cut or break it in pieces. Remove seeds. Do not peel.

Cook until soft in boiling water, or steam, a pressure
cooker, or in the oven. Scrape pulp from rind, mash through
a sieve. Cool immediately.

Pack into freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch of headroom.
Seal and freeze.

-------------------

Pat

color. One is destined to become Thanksgiving time Pumpkin Ale and
will be coming off soon enough to allow for the couple of months
brewing and aging. I'd like to use the other for Thanksgiving cooking
Who is Rich McCormack? Find out at...
http://home.pacbell.net/macknet/

Pumpkin Ale??? I never heard of it. Can I have the recipe and any advice
needed by a novice?

Dan

Pat Meadows wrote:

Hmmm....'Putting Food By' says you can freeze it thusly:

----------------
Cut or break it in pieces. Remove seeds. Do not peel.

Cook until soft in boiling water, or steam, a pressure
cooker, or in the oven. Scrape pulp from rind, mash through
a sieve. Cool immediately.

Pack into freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch of headroom.
Seal and freeze.

That'll do for pureed pumpkin for pumpkin pie, but for my other
uses I need fresh, uncooked pumpkin...

http://home.pacbell.net/macknet/pumknrcp.html

Guess I better keep working at setting more pumpkins on the vine
for fresh use later in the year. Thanks...

Rich

--
Everything that is really great and inspiring is created
by the individual who can labor in freedom.

-- Albert Einstein

Rich McCormack (Poway, CA)

Who is Rich McCormack? Find out at...
http://home.pacbell.net/macknet/

Dan Mazerolle wrote:

Pumpkin Ale??? I never heard of it. Can I have the recipe and any advice
needed by a novice?

I don't have a tried and true recipe for making pumpkin ale and
usually just "wing it" each time. Here's generally how I make it...

Rich's Pumpkin Ale

For each 1 1/4 pounds malt extract

1/2 ounce hops
1/2 pound chopped peeled and seeded pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg
1/2 ounce chopped fresh ginger

Follow my basic beer making method found at...

http://home.pacbell.net/macknet/beerpage.html

Have no fear, it's an old PacBell legacy web site with no pop-ups
or advertisements...well, except for my shameless endorsements of
The LP, Rubio's Fish Tacos and Samual Adams Beer, but one only goes
there if one clicks on the links.

Most pumpkin ale recipes I've come across add the pumpkin towards
the end of the boil to sterilize and leave it in for the primary
fermentation. I add the pumpkin and all the spices at the
beginning of the boil and strain the pumpkin out when the wort
goes into the carboy for primary fermentation.

Besides drinking, what else do I use my pumpkin ale for...?

Rich's Chipotle "Yams" Braised in Pumpkin Ale

This is my traditional Thanksgiving dinner contribution and answer
to the usual candied yams with brown sugar and marshmallows.

For each half to three quarter pound red skinned sweet potatoes
use about one tablespoon chipotle butter. To make the chipotle
butter, blend about one part pureed chipotles en adobo into two
parts softened butter. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into one
inch or so pieces. Melt the chipotle butter in a frying pan (I use
cast iron) and add chopped sweet potatoes. Sauté briefly or until
all the tater pieces are covered with melted chipotle butter. Pour
in enough pumpkin ale for about half an hour braising at 350 degrees
fahrenheit. Cover (I use aluminum foil) and cook sweet potatoes
in oven until fork tender. Remove cover, sprinkle some shredded
parmesan cheese over the taters and return to oven to broil for
5 minutes or so or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Rich

--
Everything that is really great and inspiring is created
by the individual who can labor in freedom.

-- Albert Einstein

Rich McCormack (Poway, CA)

Who is Rich McCormack? Find out at...
http://home.pacbell.net/macknet/

On Fri, 01 Aug 2003 18:22:19 GMT, Rich McCormack
wrote:


That'll do for pureed pumpkin for pumpkin pie, but for my other
uses I need fresh, uncooked pumpkin...

http://home.pacbell.net/macknet/pumknrcp.html


The Pumpkin with Black Beans sounds really nice. I like
pumpkin anyway.

Thanks.

Pat

Pat Meadows wrote:

The Pumpkin with Black Beans sounds really nice. ...

Got an private email asking...

"What do you do with the black beans?"

I Checked the page and discovered the beans are in the list
of ingredients but not the method. Been on my web site for
two, maybe three years and nobody's ever asked. Just to set
the record straight...since they're already cooked, they go
in towards the end to heat through while the pumpkin finishes
cooking. I have since fixed the page...

Rich

--
Everything that is really great and inspiring is created
by the individual who can labor in freedom.

-- Albert Einstein

Rich McCormack (Poway, CA)

Who is Rich McCormack? Find out at...
http://home.pacbell.net/macknet/