ByBy Arlene Marturano
marturano@yahoo.com

Cinderella pumpkins

The old saying "variety is the spice of life" certainly holds true for pumpkins. The joy of picking a pumpkin from a patch or pile of field pumpkins has become a lot more interesting with heirloom and new varieties debuting in garden centers, grocery stores, and farmer's markets across the country.

The familiar orange jack o'lantern pumpkin is still plentiful but has competition from nontraditional pumpkins coming in a wide range of colors, shapes, textures, and flavors. Across Columbia front porches and gardens exhibit the latest trends in pumpkins.

Siegers Seed Company introduced the new Super Freak™ series of pumpkins with warty growths on the orange skin. Knucklehead and Goose Bumps can be carved or used in fall decorative displays.

A variety of pumpkins from France, Rouge Vif D'Etampes, resembling Cinderella's carriage is used as a luminary but also for making pumpkin soup. Fairytale pumpkins follow in the footsteps of Cinderella but are more deeply ribbed.

The white or albino pumpkin is a decorator's dream. Known also as the ghost pumpkin, its smooth skin is easy to paint or carve. The white exterior and orange interior make an awesome jack- o- lantern. If you can resist carving it now, consider adorning it with red ribbon and greenery in December.

Cheese pumpkins got their name for resembling flattened wheels of cheddar. Their color is butternut like their close cousins. A smooth skin, stringless interior, and sweet flesh are characteristics prized by cooks. Libby's® popular canned pumpkin puree comes from the same pumpkin species, C. moschata, as the cheese pumpkins but a different variety, the Dickinson.

Jarrahdale pumpkins originated in New Zealand. Their beautiful blue- green or grey- green patina makes them ideal for decorating. The sweet deep orange stringless flesh gives a nutty flavor to breads and muffins.

Whatever variety of pumpkin makes it to your home this fall, save some seeds for next year's pumpkin patch. Pumpkins require adequate space and sun to grow. A soil rich in organic matter is recommended with a pH of 6.5- 7. In the Midlands pumpkins should be sown around mid- June keeping in mind most varieties need 80- 110 days to mature. Vines should be mulched in pine straw to retain moisture, deter weeds, and keep the fruit from direct contact with the ground. Powdery mildew is the most prevalent problem for growers.

Blue-green Jarrhdale pumpkins are New Zealand natives.

With so little time and so many pumpkins, several local resources have made pumpkin picking fun for the entire family. Harmon's Tree Farm in Lexington has a Haunted Hayride to their pumpkin patch. Vendors at the State Farmer's Market on Bluff Road carry a large variety of pumpkins, some of which have been grown locally.

Fairytale pumpkins are deeply ridged. Ghost pumpkins are great for painting. Knuckleheads are Super Freaks Long Island cheese pumpkins make delicious pies. Warty Goose Bump pumpkins were bred to be creepy.