What to Look for (and Avoid) When Choosing a Pumpkin
Whether you’re a practical person who plucks pumpkins from the big bin at the grocery store or a sentimental person who appreciates a walk through a pumpkin patch, the general principles for choosing a good pumpkin are the same. Depending on what you want to use your pumpkins for— carving or eating —you may want to look for different things. Here’s your guide to pumpkin picking.
What to look for in a pumpkin
Even at the pumpkin patch, you (probably) won’t be pulling your pumpkin off the vine, so there’s no point in discussing how to know when a pumpkin is ready to harvest. When you buy a pumpkin, it’s almost certainly already been picked and sitting in some kind of container or pile for you to dig through. This does not mean that they were all collected when they should have been, or that they are all perfect. Here’s what you should generally look for to make sure you choose the best option:
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No matter what color the pumpkin is, that color should be visible throughout the entire surface of the fruit. Avoid spotted pumpkins or pumpkins with multiple visible colors or shades. Choose a tightly filled one.
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Look for dry, withered stems to prevent the puppy from becoming too wet. It is best to use black or dark green stem colors. You want it to be stiff and almost dead. If there are vines attached to the meat, make sure all the leaves are crisp as well . Try also choosing a pumpkin with a longer stem; avoid those that have been cut too close to the skin. However, even with a long stem, you should not lift the pumpkin this way. Always hold it and support it from below.
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The outside of the pumpkin should also be firm. You should not be able to crush it or crush it with your hands. Try tapping the peel and listening for a hollow sound. You don’t need a lot of mush anywhere from the stem to the outside to the inside. Soft spots on any part of the pumpkin means the pumpkin is not for you.
Smell can also be a factor: try sniffing to see if you smell pumpkin, but if you’re in a pumpkin patch surrounded by smells on all sides, it might not do you much good. .
The Best Pumpkins for Decorating and Eating
There are several varieties of pumpkin available. You don’t have to be a gardener and rush into a pumpkin patch with a list of pumpkin types at hand, although if it gets you in the holiday spirit, you certainly can. The best advice, fortunately, is simple: Larger pumpkins are best for carving and decorating, while smaller pumpkins are best for baking.
Obviously, larger pieces give you a larger canvas on which to express your creepiest artistic visions, but they are useful for carving for other reasons as well. They are chewy inside and less desirable to eat. If you plan to carve, aim for a weight of 10 to 14 pounds. When it comes to baked goods, you may see signs that say “sugar pumpkins” or “Dickenson pumpkins.” Your patch might even say “pumpkin pie.” Even without labels, you will recognize them by their size. Look for small, squat pumpkins weighing about four pounds. It’s best to go with the dense ones, so tap them and listen to determine if they’re less hollow than the big boys you chose to carve.
Keep in mind that these are just guidelines: all pumpkins are good pumpkins. I regularly bake the intestines from the pumpkins I carve and have had no complaints. If your grocery store has limited selection, don’t be discouraged. Just do the best you can.