John Myers
The pumpkin is a frost-sensitive, vigorously climbing plant and can vary greatly in colour, size and surface. Although the Hokkaido pumpkin also belongs to the giant pumpkins, it is a rather small representative of this genus. This squash is orange inside and out and has a very firm and flavorful flesh.
Origin
The first pumpkins were grown in Central and South America and southern North America. Finds of pumpkin seeds date the cultivation to the period between 10,000 and 8000 BC. Today it is cultivated in almost all warm regions of the world, except for the areas mentioned above.
Season
This squash’s season runs from September well into next spring.
Taste
Hokkaido pumpkins have a slightly nutty taste. The peel does not have to be removed before consumption but can be cooked and eaten as well. The consistency of the Hokkaido pumpkin pulp is quite firm – but contains hardly any fibers.
Use
All kinds of dishes can be conjured up with pumpkins. The classic is the pumpkin soup. Also delicious: Pumpkin from the tin. Cut into wedges, baked in the oven with other vegetables, and served with a tasty dip – simply delicious. In the US, pumpkin pie is a sweet specialty, just like delicious pumpkin muffins. In this country it goes in the other direction – sweet and sour pickled pumpkin vegetables are very popular. With a weight of around 1 kg, the Hokkaido pumpkin is well suited for the preparation of smaller consumption quantities. The pumpkin tastes cooked as pumpkin, pumpkin cream, or Hokkaido pumpkin soup, but also raw in a salad. Discover more delicious Hokkaido recipes as well as butternut squash recipes with us!
Storage
It is best to store it whole in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. Whole pumpkins will keep for a few weeks if stored properly. Leaving a small piece of the stalk on the pumpkin will extend its shelf life. Consume cut pumpkins as soon as possible. Wrapped in foil, they will keep in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator for a week at most.
