Everywhere is now awash with pumpkins. Ready for the celebrations on October the 31st. If you grew your own pumpkins, well done! If you did not, then make a note in your diary. Plant pumpkin seeds in mid April-early May. Here is how we sow them. Get the kids involved, they will love it. Sow one seed per pot at a depth of about 2.5cm. Sow seed on its side rather than flat. This stops the seed rotting. Keep on a nice bright windowsill or in a greenhouse until late May or early June. Once the risk of frost is passed, harden them off for a week and then plant out in their final position. The favourite variety is the Jack O Lantern. This is available all year round from my store. Please bear these figures in mind. Some 22 million pumpkins are trashed each year, that is 18,000 tons hitting landfill. While normally in a garden they rot down naturally, packed in a tight landfill environment they can take up to a staggering 20 years to decompose. Ninety five percent of pumpkins are wsted.
Jack 0 Lantern pumpkins.
Johns Spicy Pumpkin Soup.
There are so many ways to use a pumpkin to save it from the dreaded landfill. Pies, curries, sauces, pancakes, even pasta dishes. My favourite is a delicious, warming soup a good friend of mine makes us each year. Please give it a go.
John’s Spicy Pumpkin Soup.Serves 4-5.
Ingredients.
Pumpkin. (size of a football). 1 large onion. 250ml water. 1 vegetable stock cube. 150ml milk. 1 tsp tumeric. Tsp Curry powder to taste. Tsp ginger. 125ml creme fraiche. Salt and black pepper to taste. Sprinkling of mature cheddar cheese. Sliced French bread.
Method.
Skin and de-seed pumpkin. Dice into cubes. Very finely chop the onions. Mix the water with the stock cube. Simmer pumpkin and onions in the water, gradually add the milk and continue simmering until soft. Add curry powder, ginger, tumeric and salt and pepper. Lastly stir in the creme fraiche. Pour into bowls, and sprinkle with cheese. Dip in french bread.
I hope you will try this and enjoy!
Simon’s Chilli Challenge.
I think everyone has that one friend who boasts. Who comes out with remarks such as. “ It’s no bother for for me, I can eat the hottest chilli there is.” Well now you can call their bluff, and get them a super Christmas present they will love at the same time.
Send them Simon’s Chilli Challenge.
Send them my bespoke Chilli Challenge. We will send them, on your behalf our NEW Chilli Growing Kit. It contains six varieties of chillies for them to grow. Including the Carolina Reaper. The worlds hottest chilli. The rest range in hotness from extreemly hot to mild. Plus all the equiipment they will need and full instructions. BUT!. That is not all. We will send them a challenge on parchment paper challenging them to not only grow the chillies, BUT to eat the Carolina Reaper as well. This makes a delightful, bespoke Christmas gift that will keep them talking for months.
Our Chilli Challenge from you to them, is includef in out Chilli Kit.
Our Chilli Challenge Chilli Growing Kit.
Because you can start growing chillies in the UK in January, this make a perfect Christmas gift. Please buy here. I hope that this has been interesting for you.
Good Gardening. Simon.
#SowGrowEatRepeat
