Putting the passion into pumpkin
Search Halloween recipes on the internet and you’re never far away from the signature pumpkin soup. I don’t mind a pumpkin soup – it’s a great canvas for all sorts of spicy additions – but are we going to move beyond this from a food point of view?
My own thoughts are echoed in this entertainingly written feature from Produce Business where pumpkin farmers are looking to chefs to help promote new and different ways of using this versatile and iconic winter squash other than slicing them up for ghoulish decorations.
Halloween takes up a much larger slice of the social calendar than it did a decade ago, says the article.
And while our supermarket aisles are awash with the orange glow of carving pumpkins, it seems producers and retailers are open to expanding their seasonal offer with more edible varieties. Some of them are promoting recipe ideas too but the growers are calling for more support and ways to promote the cooking of them.
Recently at a Guild of Food Writers tasting event Natoora were delighted to share their Delicio squash, lovingly produced by a young farmer in Italy, that dedicates his farm to growing only melons and squashes year round. Undeniably gorgeous in flavour with an intoxicating depth and quality, writers were shown how easy it was to caramelise with just a little butter in a pan before being finished off in the oven.
This is just one quick and simple idea but there are so many more. What should squash and pumpkin farmers do to promote their products? Share your thoughts below.
