Pumpkin season: Where to pick them in Cork and what to do with them
Pumpkins at the farm of Sandra and Joe Burns of Killeagh. It is one of a number of spots in Cork where you can pick your own pumpkins this season.
Nothing looks or tastes like autumn more than the sight of brightly coloured, unusual-shaped and delicious pumpkins and squash.
This year was my most successful squash harvest ever. Twelve beauties, plump and rotund, from four varieties, each with their own distinctive flavour. The long, warm summer was ideal, and harvests are bumper everywhere. Stored correctly, they will last for months, but that doesn’t mean eating them always the same way.
Pumpkins and squashes are super-versatile. Serve simply steamed with butter and lots of pepper, mashed, roasted, made into soup, cooked into a curry, stew or risotto; in savoury or sweet pies – they taste great in everything.
There’s even a variety called Spaghetti Squash which cooks into pasta-like strands. Squashes can be paired with all kinds of flavours, from the subtlety of herbs and nuts to robust notes of chilli or blue cheese.
Simply put, they are one of my favourite seasonal vegetables to play with!
Their rise in popularity in Ireland in recent years has driven interest in pumpkin-picking events right around the county. It’s a fun way to pass an hour or two wandering a spooky trail around a farm, picking the perfect pumpkin, and enjoying the festival atmosphere.
Back at home, and it’s time to carve the pumpkin. It’s a great way for kids to unleash their creative side, but what to do with those leftovers? It’s all good to eat, so avoid the bin and make something delicious with it.
Seeds inside most pumpkins and squash are a pale off-white colour, very different to the green pumpkin seeds in shops, but the good news is they are all edible and taste delicious.
Put the seeds in a colander, briefly rinse with cold water, then boil in well-salted water for 10 minutes to soften the husk. Drain, shake out onto a lined baking tray, and sprinkle over some spices (cumin, paprika and black pepper are great), sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil, and toss so everything is coated. Bake in the oven at 200°C for 10 minutes. Cool, then store in an airtight container for up to a month.
Use as a sprinkle over salads, soups, roast chicken, or to garnish risotto or polenta.
Just as potato and carrot peelings can be turned into crunchy chips, so can pumpkin and squash skins, and they are great as a nutritious, flavourful snack, topped on a freshly baked pizza, or a garnish on salads and hot dishes.
Peel the skin as thinly as possible (a peeler is best), toss with some old school Herbes de Provence, salt, pepper and a tiny drizzle of olive oil. Put on a baking sheet or in an air fryer basket and cook in a preheated oven or air fryer until crispy.
If your pumpkin is for carving, collect what has been scooped out, remove seeds, and skin to leave you with the flesh. If it’s quite loose and a small amount, make a soup with other vegetables to bulk it out.
Two flavours I enjoy pairing with pumpkin soup are smoky bacon and chestnuts. Cut the bacon into thin lardons and fry until crispy and golden. Set aside to cool and become even crispier, then use a processor or pestle and mortar to bash into a bacon powder. Buy chestnuts from supermarkets in a vacuum pack, and crumble a handful into your soup with onions, garlic, squash/pumpkin, stock, etc, and cook down. Blitz it in a blender, pour into bowls, and top with the bacon powder.
For mashed squash, steam small chunks of pumpkin until tender. Mash with plenty of butter, then fold in pepper, salt and a little chopped fresh sage with a wooden spoon.
Roasted squash is a great side vegetable, but if you roughly mash it and add chilli, rosemary and some crumbled feta cheese, it makes for a fabulous savoury pie filling.
Thinly sliced squash cooked with onion, garlic, cream, seasoning, and cheese makes a lip-smacking gratin.
Butternut squash is the most familiar of the squashes, and Hasselback Squash is a fun way to cook it. Top, tail and peel the squash, slice in half lengthways and remove the seeds. Place each half on a lined baking tray, flat face down. Using a sharp cook’s knife, make a series of thin and equally spaced slices from top to bottom, taking care not to cut all the way through. Sprinkle over some olive oil, season with salt and pepper, cover with foil and roast until cooked all the way through.
Cook for a final 5-10 minutes uncovered to colour the squash. Place on a plate and drizzle over with a dressing made from tahini paste, lemon juice and olive oil. Scatter over some freshly chopped parsley, pomegranate seeds, and some toasted pecan nuts.
Pick up Irish-grown pumpkins and squash throughout the autumn and winter from Cork Rooftop Farm and local farmers’ markets so you can eat deliciously well all season long!
Check out these great pumpkin-picking events across Cork this October. Pre-book online.
Pick rainbow carrots, the pumpkin of your dreams, and your own spuds, too. With live music, food trucks, and freshly cooked farm-to-fork chips on offer, there’s plenty to keep everyone entertained!
Running until October 26, wander the fields, pick your own pumpkin and take part in a pumpkin carving workshop. Meet the Shropshire Sheep grazing among the Christmas Tree Farm. Photo spots and hot drinks to warm up with, just 15 minutes from Cork city.
Embrace the spirit of all things spooky, pick a pumpkin at the Pumpkin Patch, explore the rescue animals that call Ballinadee their home, then hop on the spooky bus for a thrilling experience. Finish with a warming drink from the coffee dock. Open until October 31.
Make your way past the haunted fields and through the spooky barnyard to get to the Pumpkin Patch! While there, step back in time to a 1950s working farm, meet the farm animals and learn about all the crops grown to feed them. Open until October 30, book online.
The annual Hallowe’en BOO! event takes place at Leahy’s Open Farm until October 31 and is suitable for younger kids. Meet monsters, ghouls and ghosts that have descended on the farm this Hallowe’en. Do the witches’ bidding and gather ingredients for her spells, and take a haunted trailer ride around the spooky forest.
Slí Eile’s Halloween Fun Day on Saturday, October 25, promises to be a ‘fang-tastic’ event filled with tricks, treats, crafts and scares in the orchard. Watch the witches dancing, musicians will entertain, and there will be the weekly veg market, John’s Deli, craft stalls, and the award-winning Market Café will be open, and kids can pick their own pumpkin and sweets, too. €10 per child, parents go free.
- Book via Eventbrite
App?
