Super Pumpkin

We tried a Long Island Cheese today for the first time. Made soup. Normally, I'd only add minimal liquid to pumpkin soup so that I can get a thick soup. Today, I did as usual, but when I blended it, it was so thick I ended up having to add more water and even then it held its shape in the bowl! The flavour is superb. I sent a couple down to Hobart for Amy and Kim and they reckoned it was really good, but I haven't had such a good one in a long time. I saved seeds, but didn't bag them, but anything this pumpkin crosses with is bound to be improved!

Sounds great! Should be delicious roasted too. Or as mashed pumpkin. (I am sooooo off pumpkin soup at the moment, the mere thought of it makes me shudder.)

We had a so-so pumpkin season. The big ones didn't do much, but the small ones, such as Golden Nugget, were growing very well. So we still have enough to satisfy our pumpkin cravings until next season.

So, how did all your little ones go? Didn't you grow quite a few new varieties this season?

I love cream in my pumpkin soup

Roast it with garlic and then make your soup

The pumpkin looks and sounds very good. I'm in the process of making pumpkin soup today. Roasted a Thai pumpkin I got from a friend with some left over butternut. I'll roast some more as there isn't enough really. I bought an enormous Trombone Gramma at the markets yesterday so I'll use some of that. This will be an experiment as I'm going to use almond milk. I'll let you know how it goes.

Fran wrote:Roast it with garlic and then make your soup

Mmmmm now that does sound yummo

Started roasting it first last year. Wouldn't do it any other way now. Roasting really brings out the flavours, and the sugars!

well my fav. roasted veggies are pumpkin and parsnips they are just soooooooooooo sweet

The Estate wrote:I love cream in my pumpkin soup

sour cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg

I roast it before I make soup just to get the sugars working. We love an earthy mix of pumpkins, potatoes, parsnips, turnips or swede, sweet potato and beetroot - all in one dish ( beetroot in foil ) and roasted until tender and brown. Yum with a nice leg of lamb or chine of beef.

Must post my beetroot chilli recipe

Yes please!

1 large onion cut into half rings , finely
1 large can of beetroot, cut into strips
10 curry leaves
1 large red chili sliced finely
1 teaspoon of chili paste, seed type
2 cloves of garlic sliced
1 inch of ginger finely sliced

(I used the jar ginger and garlic if not in the pantry)

fry of garlic, ginger, onions, chili and curry leaves till transparent, add beetroot and chili paste and fry for5 mins and serve as a side dish to curry dishes, very sweet and yummo


I have a few beets in the ground ATM and hopefully will have enough to make the above

Soup made with 50/50 stock/almond milk and flavoured with garam masala was delish!

Some info for seed savers:
Most pumpkins grown in Australia belong to one of four species.
Cucurbita maxima - the likes of Red Kuri, Golden Nugget, Q'ld Blue, Jarrahdale & Triamble
Cucurbita moschata - the likes of Long Island Cheese, Butternut, Trombone Gramma & Jap
Cucurbita mixta - the cushaw squashes (not common in Oz)
Cucurbita pepo - the Delicata types, the Acorns, Winter Luxury Pie, the naked seeded types. All the zukes and squashes are in here too.
Within each species, cross pollination happens readily. Across species it's possible but highly unlikely and if they do cross the offspring are often sterile.
So, you could grow one from each species and save seeds from all of them.
I have a much more complete list if anyone is interested. Also, have a look at http://www.kcb-samen.ch for an astonishing array of things pumpkinny!

Love that recipe please Ray - would never have thought of almond milk - never used it in fact.

And had a look round that site - great fun - love those names - Batwing, Phat Jack.
Interested in the white - Ei Weiss - can you tell about that - couldn't read the German.

And Thee that recipe of yours is going to come in handy - I eat fresh beetroot occasionally but visitors on camping trips sometimes leave me with tins that moulder away on a shelf at the back of the pantry - out of sight, out of mind and usually I end up throwing them out if someone doesn't come along who wants them - good on you

Ei weiss
Die Früchte sind den Hühnereiern zum Verwechseln ähnlich. Sie werden deshalb auch den Hühnern anstelle eines Gipseis ins Nest gelegt. Die Haut ist glatt und sehr hart. Die»Eier«sind ein paar Monate haltbar, zum Teil bekommen sie aber im Laufe der Zeit Flecken. Länge ca. 6 cm.

For fun, here is the Google Translator's version:
Egg white
The fruits of the chicken eggs are confusingly similar. They are therefore also the chickens instead of a Gipseis into the nest. The skin is smooth and very tough. The "eggs" are a couple of months, sometimes they get but over time spots. About 6 cm in length.

Perhaps Madgnome would give us a sensible translation. It's obviously called White Egg.

Fran, I used a standard pumpkin soup recipe, like the one you posted in the recipe section, which looks yummy by the way, and replaced the dairy with almond milk - 1 cup almond milk instead of 1/2 cup cream + 1/2 cup milk. More might be better. I'm going to try using some almond meal next time. As long as you use oil for roasting and frying then using the almond milk makes it Vegan, but still creamy. Almond milk is a useful device for guests who can't/won't eat dairy when you want a creamy consistency in cooking.