From cattle feed to delicacy thanks to Halloween

They’re called Sunshine, Buttercup, Ghost Rider, Hokkaido, or Carnival, and they grow in all shapes and colors: There are 850 types of squash plants, but not all are edible. For a long time, pumpkin was considered a poor man’s food, its pulp was bitter and used as animal fodder. “It has now found its way into the gourmet kitchen,” says horticultural expert Scarlet Allenspach (34).

Pistachio, salty and spooky

And rightly so: “Depending on the variety, it tastes from nutty to spicy. Now there are also small species that grow even in pots on the balcony.” That’s why the founder of Urbanroots offers the mini pumpkin “Jack be little,” which is just a fist sized and its aromatic taste makes it suitable for a variety of dishes. Everything goes with zucchini. From soups and salads to gratins and jams, from boiling to frying.

However, it is not only the flesh that tastes good and is healthy, but also the seeds are hard. Valuable oil is pressed from them, and Styria in Austria is famous for it. Roasted beans go well with fall salads or pasta dishes. In addition, the pumpkin stays fresh for a long time, it can be stored in the cellar for months at cool temperatures.

Halloween boom in the kitchen

According to statistics from the Swiss Central Office of Vegetable Growing, the area under pumpkin cultivation in Switzerland has tripled in the last ten years, excluding direct sales from the farm. The growing popularity is also due to the tradition of Halloween, which overflowed the USA in the 1990s and is now celebrated almost as much as carnival.

“All Hallows Eve” is the evening before All Saints’ Day, the tradition originally from pre-Christian times in Ireland. The Celts celebrated their harvest on October 31 with Samhain, the start of the cold season, and was considered the night when one came into contact with the dead – to this day the deceased is commemorated on All Saints’ Day.

Watch out for ornamental gourds

This includes carved pumpkin faces – lit by a candle, they turn into wild grimaces. Classically, large, orange-colored varieties such as Big Max or Rocket are appropriate. But even smaller ones like Hokkaido or coconut pumpkins can be carved decoratively and the dough can be used in the kitchen.

Ornamental pumpkins should be taken care of, their color and shape are often the most striking, but not edible. Their meat is packed with cucurbitacin, a bitter substance that resists heat and is retained during cooking. All cucurbitacins have an insecticidal and fungicidal effect, so there is a risk of poisoning. To avoid a Halloween carnage like in classic horror movies, you have to be careful when carving: Pumpkin skin is tough and the blade is correspondingly sharp.