“Something to Talk About”—Seminole Pumpkins! (2024)

FAQs

What is the history of the Seminole pumpkin? ›

Found throughout Florida, this variety of pumpkin was previously cultivated before the arrival of the Spanish in the sixteenth century. Though the pumpkin shares its name with the Seminole tribe, it was widely consumed and grown by the Miccosukee, Creek, and other tribes indigenous to Florida.

Edible Plant of the Month (August): Seminole pumpkin

Latin name:Cucurbita moschata. Planting months: March-April; early August. Cold tolerance: Not cold hardy. Light requirements: Full sun (best), light shade.

So things like butternut, Tromboncino, and Seminole pumpkin will ripen off the vine much more successfully than a spaghetti squash, acorn squash, or carving pumpkin. It's also important to remember that green immature squash of all varieties can be eaten as if it were zucchini.

Uses. The Seminole Pumpkins are eaten in a variety of ways—raw, boiled, fried, baked, mashed, steamed, stuffed, dried, or used in pies. Young fruits can be pickled, and the seeds are eaten raw or roasted. The flowers, leaves, and young stems are eaten as a green vegetable or added to soups.

Thanks to their thick skin, Seminole pumpkins can be stored whole for a couple of months, even in Florida's humid climate. In a dry location with good ventilation, they can be stored for up to a year. Seminole pumpkin makes an excellent substitute for pumpkin or butternut squash when cooking.

This thick-skinned fruit can be stored at room temperature for months. The pumpkins are generally 6 – 10 inches in diameter and weigh as much as 8 – 12 pounds. The Seminole Pumpkin is a dream come true for the organic gardener.

Seminole pumpkin is 90 percent water and 1 cup of cooked pumpkin flesh is less than 50 calories. Nutritional Value of Pumpkin for ½ cup cooked pumpkin: 25 Calories, 0 grams Fat & Saturated Fat, 6 grams Total Carbohydrates, 1 gram Protein, and 1 milligram Sodium.

Cut the Seminole pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds. (You can save these seeds and add Seminole pumpkin to your garden next spring.) You may want to cut larger pumpkins into quarters to make baking more manageable. Bake the Seminole pumpkin pieces for 45-60 minutes.

You can use the puree for making pies, breads, smoothies, or in any recipe calling for canned pumpkin. This recipe was created for baking Seminole pumpkin, but you can use any pie/sugar pumpkin.

Can you leave a pumpkin on the vine for too long? In general, pumpkins can be left on the vine until the first autumn frost, at which point the vine will likely die, and the pumpkins should be picked. You don't typically have to worry about a pumpkin staying on the vine too long and rotting.

What are the green worms on my pumpkin leaves? ›

7 – Melonworm caterpillars present on the underside of a pumpkin leaf. These larvae can be identified by their green color and the two white stripes on their back.

This incredibly hardy, prolific and unusual vegetable is called the Seminole Pumpkin (actually botanically classified in the same family as our cherished butternut). It is believed to have originated on the tropical riverbank shores and swampland hammocks of Florida.

One, if the leaves or extra vine are showing signs of infection (with pumpkins, late in the season, this is often powdery mildew), it's a good idea to remove the damaged tissue.

Native American Indians used pumpkin as an important part of their diets many years before the Pilgrims landed. Native Americans enjoyed the inner pulp of the pumpkin baked, boiled, roasted and dried. They added the blossoms to soups, turned dried pumpkin pieces into rich flour, and ate the seeds as a tasty snack.

History of the Pumpkin

For centuries the pumpkin was consumed and used in many ways by Native Americans. They would cook the flesh of the pumpkin by roasting, baking, boiling and drying it. They also ate the seeds of the pumpkin and sometimes used them as medicine.

When Irish immigrants came to America, they brought their traditions and discovered something new - pumpkins! While this orange gourd lacked the bone white color of turnips, it was easy to carve and cast a beautiful orange glow when lit, making it perfect for Jack-O-Lanterns in a new home.

Pumpkins have a rich history dating back around 7,500 years to Central America, where indigenous peoples cultivated them for sustenance and medicinal purposes. They played a vital role in early American agriculture, with Native Americans incorporating them into their diets long before the arrival of European settlers.