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Post by chrysanthemum on Dec 27, 2021 17:21:16 GMT -6
A couple of weeks ago, in anticipation of a possible freeze, I harvested my two maturing Seminole pumpkins. They still had a fair amount of green, but I’ve been keeping them by the windows in my bedroom to give them some sunshine and warmth, and they’ve really turned nicely. There are hints of green remaining, but I’m very pleased with how there coming along. These are photos from the day I harvested, December 11th, I think, and today, December 27th. I’m looking forward to trying these in their mature form.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Dec 29, 2021 15:01:12 GMT -6
Looking good! That's what it's all about. Those ought to cook up nicely!
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Post by hmoosek on Dec 29, 2021 20:11:13 GMT -6
They look great
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Post by chrysanthemum on Jan 15, 2022 20:42:10 GMT -6
I decided that it would be a good afternoon to cook up some pumpkin puree for the freezer. I was pretty pleased with the results. I scooped the puree into little silicone molds that we have that hold about one quarter cup each. I’ll let them freeze on a cookie sheet, then transfer the frozen puree to a storage bag. That way I can easily access whatever amount I might need for a recipe. I’m looking forward to pumpkin soup at some point. I did notice that the seeds in both my pumpkins were darker than what I’m accustomed to. I’ll see what they look like when they dry out. Is that just a normal variation, or should I be concerned? There was no sign of any rot or deterioration in the flesh.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2022 1:33:10 GMT -6
So adorb! Seeds look good to me. They lighten up as they dry.
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Post by macmex on Jan 16, 2022 5:41:33 GMT -6
Agreed. I think the seeds look good.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Jan 16, 2022 16:00:17 GMT -6
George and I both kept an Old-Timey Cornfield pumpkin or two for about a year once, as an experiment. It turned out really well; they Wintered in surprisingly good condition, but the seeds did look a little darker than normal when I butchered the one I kept. Maybe age has something to do with it? Things like that would take a little more experimentation to know for sure.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Jan 17, 2022 10:07:33 GMT -6
Thanks for the reassurance. I remember thinking when I cut into the pumpkins, “These seeds look old.” The thing is that the pumpkins are about as young as they could be and still be mature. I didn’t plant the seeds until July because I didn’t have room for Seminole until we got the new beds from the neighbors and had them suitably filled with material. It was really pushing the edge for maturity time-wise. The two pumpkins were about the first to be pollinated (an earlier one got a borer in it, and later ones we ate green). They hadn’t even ripened fully when I brought them inside. The dark seeds just surprised me because it’s not what I’m used to. They look otherwise good, though.
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Post by hmoosek on Jul 17, 2022 12:09:38 GMT -6
chrysanthemumI’m so glad I found your post, I was getting ready to start some seeds for Seminole Pumpkin, but I think it’s a tad too late. No sense wasting seed needlessly.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Jul 17, 2022 15:46:44 GMT -6
chrysanthemum I’m so glad I found your post, I was getting ready to start some seeds for Seminole Pumpkin, but I think it’s a tad too late. No sense wasting seed needlessly. I do think it would be pushing it time-wise if your whole goal is fully mature pumpkins. If you wanted to plant a vine or two for green pumpkins for a summer squash harvest, I think that would do just fine. I only have one surviving Seminole vine, and it still doesn’t have any fruit. I helped my neighbors plant some well after I planted mine, and they have one nice pumpkin that just started last week. It should have time to mature, but my guess is that our average frost date is probably a little later than yours. I saved a bunch of seed last year from my pumpkins. I hadn’t learned your germination testing trick last year, and I think I used my original package when I planted this year, so I don’t know about it. I’d be willing to share if you need more seed, though.
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Post by hmoosek on Jul 17, 2022 16:33:12 GMT -6
chrysanthemum. Thank you very much for the offer, it George sent me a care package last year. Your generosity is very appreciated though.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Aug 25, 2022 20:01:00 GMT -6
I’ve had only one Seminole Pumpkin vine this year that made it to a good size. (A couple of others got taken out very early by vine borers, along with all my other squash that weren’t resistant). This one vine has been attacked, and it’s a wonder that it continues to grow despite some very obvious borer damage. I buried extra stems at the bottom, but most of the growth is trellised. One particular spot that shows where a borer got in is about my eye level, and there are numerous vines that are still growing beyond that damage. I don’t know how long they’ll survive, but they’ve been doing it well for weeks now, despite it looking like everything beyond the damage should be gone by now. I don’t have a photo of my first fruit on this vine, but you can see a bit of it in a picture of the borer damage. The vine just hasn’t blossomed until recently when the weather finally cooled a bit, and it’s been mostly male blossoms at first, of course. I hand pollinated this female on Monday before the rain came, and it looks as though it took. I think I’ll pick it green, because I don’t want to push for maturity on a vine that’s already so compromised. There are a couple tiny females developing, so I hope they’ll bloom soon, too, as well.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Aug 26, 2022 17:53:52 GMT -6
I took a picture of my lone Seminole Pumpkin fruit this morning. It’s not large, maybe about six inches at this point. I’ll let it get a bit bigger and pick it as a summer squash, I think. No other female blossoms have bloomed yet, but I’m hoping that the rain and more reasonable temperatures will encourage them to bloom. I gave my next door neighbors a couple of seeds of Seminole and another variety, maybe back in May, and they have one Seminole that is orange and almost ready for harvest. It hasn’t been a productive year down here in Texas, but I’m glad that they’ll have at least one fruit.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Aug 30, 2022 19:53:09 GMT -6
I harvested my green Seminole pumpkin today because I wanted to eat it like a summer squash. I had some leftover croutons that I made recently for Caesar salad, and I turned those into breadcrumbs to coat chunks of squash. I baked it till the topping was a bit crispy and the pumpkin soft, and it went over well with the kids. Hurray! I also took the major step of cutting the pumpkin vine below where the borer had damaged it so badly. I waited till I harvested my one fruit, then made the cut. It was a hard step because it was the bulk of the plant, but I wanted to give it a chance to put out healthier new growth down at the base without such a compromised stem trying to feed it. Here are some before and after shots. I chopped all the vines up with my pruning shears and put them in my compost. I never found the borer in the stem he had hollowed out. Maybe my spraying neem in there a while back did him in (or maybe he’s pupating in my soil right now waiting to emerge next year to torment my squash plants). I can see why Seminole is more resistant to borers, though. Sometimes the stem was tough to cut with my pruning shears, it was so thick and strong.
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Post by hmoosek on Aug 30, 2022 20:26:22 GMT -6
Over the winter, I’ve got to sit down with wifypoo and make a list to put on the fridge. So many things didn’t get done this year. No Seminole Pumpkin, No Roselle, No Heavy Hitter Okra, No African X okra, etc, Etc! It’s a crying shame too because I had seeds of all of those, but they simply slipped my mind and time got away from me. Where does time go?
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