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vegetable highlight: Seminole Pumpkin

I have grown calabaza in the past but this year I planted the Seminole pumpkin seeds that Silvia shared with me earlier in the spring. After eating a few of them recently, I prefer the Seminole pumpkin. When I baked the squashes, I found the Seminole pumpkin to be less watery and sweeter. I hope to get lots more before frost.

Everyone that received Cucuzzi seeds from me also received some Seminole pumpkin seeds. If you have the room, they are worth growing. I picked another pumpkin tonight to show you what they look like. I usually wait until they turn a little more tan in color. On the left is a pot of Pumpkin Bisque (soup) and on the right is baked pumpkin with a touch of honey. It looks like a sweet pie but it isn't. Hubby says that I could serve him pumpkin every night!

How do you like to serve your pumpkin style squashes? I'll post the recipes if someone wants them. The bisque is delicious. It has some sauteed carrot and onion in there too. Supposed to have a little cream in there but I used it up with the last batch of bisque.

Silvia, I bet you have some really good ideas.

If anyone wants some Seminole pumpkin seeds I saved some more.

Christine

Comments (13)

  • 16 years ago

    I made pumpkin butter with my seminole pumpkins. I microwaved a pumpkin cut in half with the seeds scooped out in a caserole dish with an inch or so of H2O for 17-20 min. I then took an icecream scoop and scooped out the cooked, soft flesh-blended until smooth. Poured it into a crockpot, stirred in desired spiced(pumpkin pie spice) and sugar for desired sweetness- half covered the crockpot with the lid and cooked all night on low(aprox 9 hours). I made cookies substituting half the butter in oatmeal cookies with pumpkin butter. Waterman and Featherhoof-Light liked them, too.

  • 16 years ago

    I have some of the calabaza starting to grow now, but the bugs have eaten most of the leaves. I may need to wait until cooler weather to grow these.
    I have bought it from the veggie market and roasted it cubed up or cooked and mashed it like mashed potatoes.

  • 16 years ago

    Very nice Christine! Those dishes look yummy! I bet hubby is happy.

    I know that you like to eat healthier and grill, so this dish might be good for you.

    Grilled pumpkin
    Cut pumpkin into slices a scant 1/2 inch thick, remove fibers and seeds, and steam until barely tender. Combine two minced garlic cloves with one teaspoon each chopped rosemary and thyme and 1/3 cup olive oil. Brush it over the squash and season with salt and pepper. Grill on both sides until marked and tender, then serve with a dash of apple cider vinegar or a spicier condiment such as harissa.

    Good partners for pumpkins
    Olive oil, butter, brown butter, sunflower seed oil.
    Fontina, Gruyere, pecorino Romano, Parmesan.
    Sage, rosemary, garlic, red pepper flakes, chile, cumin, coriander
    Brown sugar, coconut milk, ginger, lime, lemongrass, curry
    Onions, radicchio, apple, quince

    Seminole pumpkins keep well in a cool ventilated area, and also keeps well in the freezer. To make later soups, breads or pies.

    I am going to try a new recipe this weekend with pumpkins, if I liked it, I will share it.

    My seminole pumpkin from last year

    {{gwi:133933}}

    And some of the dishes that we tried

    {{gwi:133394}}

    Silvia

  • 16 years ago

    I'm in the process of making the most wonderful calabaza soup right now. You could use seminole pumpkin instead.


    Rate the Recipe Read Reviews (0)
    Yield
    Makes 12 cups

    Ingredients
    4 pounds peeled calabaza or acorn squash, cut into 1-inch cubes
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    1 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    2 garlic cloves, crushed
    1/2 cup diced onion
    1/2 cup diced celery
    1/4 cup bacon drippings (about 5 slices bacon) or olive oil
    2 tablespoons curry powder
    1 tablespoon red curry paste
    1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
    1 bay leaf
    1 quart chicken stock
    2 cups heavy cream
    Salt
    White pepper
    Garnish: toasted almonds and sunflower sprouts
    Preparation
    Combine first 4 ingredients on a foil-lined jelly-roll pan. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until squash is tender. Set aside.

    Sauté next 3 ingredients in bacon drippings in a large skillet until tender. Stir in curry powder; toast 30 seconds. Add calabaza, curry paste, thyme, and bay leaf; stir to combine. Add stock and cream; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

    Puree mixture in a blender, pour through a wire-mesh strainer, and press with the back of a spoon. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Garnish, if desired.

    Coastal Living, APRIL 2007

    Yum.

  • 16 years ago

    My finished soup. I sprinkled the bacon used for the drippings on top.

    {{gwi:22362}}

  • 16 years ago

    Wow, they all look so great. Do they mostly taste like pumpkins or squash though?

  • 16 years ago

    Is it too late to plant seminole pumpkin seeds in S. Fl? If so when is the best time to plant them?

  • 16 years ago

    jstropic---If you have the seeds I would plant them right away. They take about 100 days to start producing. Otherwise, you can wait until spring.

    Tom---They taste like a cross between a pumpkin and winter squash. Less dense texture than regular pumpkin. Nice flavor.

    Christine

  • 16 years ago

    Thanks Christine I'll start them right away!

  • 16 years ago

    Yes, thanks Christine, I'll plant some of mine now too and some again in the spring. :o)

  • 16 years ago

    I thought I had a great recipe for y'all.
    It was a recipe for seminole pumpkin bread called
    "Chok-she-pa-lash-te-shokaa-mol-ke" that I found in one of our girl scout cookbooks.
    "DOH"
    It's actually seminole INDIAN pumpkin bread made with self rising flour and a small can of pumpkin. It sounds like johnny cakes where you take small portions and fry it in a skillet.
    never mind :)

  • 15 years ago

    Here's something I like to make with any firm-fleshed winter squash:

    2-3 cups winter squash cut into small cubes
    1 large onion, diced
    1 orange
    olive oil
    fresh sage leaves
    salt
    pepper

    Fry the sage leaves in the oil for a minute or so, add the onion until they just begin to caramelize slightly. Grate some orange peel into the onions (to taste), give several more stirs, then remove from pan. Add a bit more oil and add the squash and fry till it begins to soften. Juice the orange and add the juice to the pan, turn heat to low and cover; let cook till the squash is tender. It may brown a bit with the orange juice, this is a good thing as long as you don't let it burn.

    When the squash is tender but not mushy, add the onions, mix and serve.

    You can cook it all together but I find that if you cook the onions and squash separately and mix them at the last minute you get a nicer looking dish.

    I cooked my large crop of Futtsus this last year. This year it looks like I'll have lots of Seminoles, Pennsylvania Dutch Crookneck and Bungkan so I'm looking forward to fall!

  • 15 years ago

    Just harvested more than a dozen and still have more on the vines. All of these recipes look great, not sure which one I am making in a few minutes but cant wait to taste them!
    Yummy!!!
    Susan in North Central Florida

    Here is a link that might be useful: Owens Farm

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