The 411 on Specialty Pumpkins

We've got some beautiful specialty pumpkins growing this year and besides sharing the pictures and their names, we wanted to also explain why these pumpkins are often referred to as "Heirloom" pumpkins.

For a plant to be considered an heirloom plant, it must be an open pollination plant. This means that the plant is capable of producing seeds from this season's plant that produces seedlings exactly like the parent plant. Some of our pumpkin varieties qualify as heirloom plants,which means they've never been cross-hybridized with any other plant. Some of these varieties have been around for hundreds of years! Again, what a wonder of nature!

A couple of these varieties are cross-hybrids, meaning they are a cross between a standard pumpkin variety and a unique squash. Whether heirlooms or hybrids, they're all natural and all spectacular!

You won’t find a pumpkin as unique as ‘Brodé Galeux d’Eysines’. The French love pumpkins and have cultivated many treasures. One of their most fine, ‘Brodé Galeux d’Eysines’ – meaning “Embroidered with warts from Eysines” (a small city in the southwest of France) – is a really funky pumpkin!

The blue-gray color, deep ribs and perfect pumpkin shape of ‘Jarrahdale’ is often a favorite and we have some gorgeous ones growing in the patch!

Nothing is more vibrant than the rich orange-red of ‘Rouge Vif d’ Etampes’.‘Rouge Vif d’ Etampes’ another French favorite, has impressive flattened, dark orange-red fruit. Sometimes called “the Cinderella pumpkin,” it’s great in any fall table display.

Another sought-after variety are the beautiful white pumpkins. This variety is called "Valenciano" and they are so brilliantly white, you almost need shades to look at them! :-)

We are enjoying the treasures we're already finding in the patch and are looking forward to harvesting them soon! The regular orange pumpkins are really starting to turn, so we're ready to have you out to visit! See you soon!