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After cultivation, the question arises as to how and when pumpkins are harvested. We also show how to preserve pumpkins by freezing and pickling.
The pumpkin (Cucurbita) is very popular in the garden and has many uses. The annual pumpkin plants are very sprawling and usually bring high yields. To ensure that everything runs smoothly at the end of the season, the harvest and storage of the pumpkin are crucial. During the winter months, the pumpkins can serve as Halloween decorations or of course they can be eaten. The tips below will help you harvest and store pumpkins properly.
In the following you will find out everything about the right time to harvest pumpkins and we will show why it can be worth letting the pumpkin ripen after harvest.
Harvest pumpkins: When is harvest time?
Depending on the variety, time of planting and weather, the harvest time is in late summer and into autumn. Maturity begins in mid-August at the earliest, but most pumpkins are harvested from September to October. In any case, it should be harvested before the first frosts. To tell if a squash is ready for harvest, look for these signs.
What are the signs that the pumpkin is ripe?
- Intense fruit colour, easy to recognize especially in orange-red varieties such as the Hokkaido
- Woody and dry stem
- Leaf Dieback
- It is not possible to scratch the shell with a fingernail
- Hollow sound when tapping the fruit (does not apply to all varieties!)
If all the signs are correct, the pumpkin can be harvested. It is best to use a sharp knife and cut it off by the stem. Make sure that the pumpkin is not damaged during harvest so that it can later ripen and be stored. If the weather is dry, it makes sense to let the pumpkin dry outside for a few days.
Leave the pumpkin to ripen
After the harvest, the main part of the cultivation is done - the pumpkin can now be eaten or otherwise processed.However, it is better to let it mature for some time. The reason for this is that the taste improves with the after-ripening. In addition, the germination capacity of the pumpkin seeds increases and they can easily be reused for sowing next year. The stem also dries up as it ripens: This means the fruit is better protected against infections and can be stored longer.
A bright and dry place is recommended for the later ripening of pumpkins. Pumpkins should ideally stay there at 20 °C for about three weeks. It should also be ensured that they lie on a dry surface such as wood or cardboard and are turned regularly. After this process, the taste of the pumpkin improves and it can be used in the kitchen.
Tip: In order for the pumpkin plant to bring a rich harvest, the supply of nutrients to the plant is particularly important. If you feed your pumpkin plant with an organic fertilizer like our Plantura organic long-term organic tomato fertilizer, you will later be rewarded with a rich harvest with a great taste.
Storing and preserving pumpkins
With a good harvest, you may end up with more vegetables left over than you can eat or carve pumpkins with. The great thing about pumpkins is that they can be stored for months if stored correctly. The following tips and methods will help to store the pumpkin over the winter.
Store pumpkin correctly
The vegetables can be stored for up to six months if they are stored correctly and with the right type of pumpkin. A dry and dark location where the temperature is not too high is recommended for storing the pumpkin. Ideally, this is 12-15 °C. Temperatures below this can damage the squash because the fruit rots more quickly. Temperatures above 15°C, on the other hand, have a negative effect on the taste in the long term.
It is also particularly important that an airy place is chosen, because excessive humidity can lead to the formation of condensation on the shell, which in turn promotes rot. Nets or wooden boxes are suitable for storing pumpkins. It is just as important when ripening that there are no pressure points.
How to store pumpkins properly?
- Dry and dark storage location (e.g. basement)
- Temperature between 12 and 15°C
- Airy space (e.g. net or wooden box)
Preserve Pumpkin
In addition to the classic storage in a cool place, there is also the option of preserving the pumpkin for a longer period of time. The harvest is frozen, boiled, pickled or dried. Learn how each method works below.
Freeze Pumpkin
Freezing pumpkin is a wonderful way to store it for a longer period of time. It has a shelf life of 4 to 6 months and can be used for cooking as needed. The advantage: You can also take smaller portions by freezing. Pumpkins can be frozen in a number of ways. Depending on the intended use, either cut individual pieces into small pieces or freeze the pumpkin as a puree.
If the pumpkin is to be roasted or baked for cooking, freezing raw pieces makes the most sense. To do this, cut the pumpkin into pieces and remove the stalk and the pumpkin seeds. These can also be fried or used for sowing next year. Hokkaido squashes are the only squash whose skin is eaten. With this type of pumpkin, the skin can remain on, with all others, the pumpkin must be peeled first. After cutting, the sliced pumpkin is placed in a suitable container and placed in the freezer.
If the pumpkin is later to be used as a soup, it is a good idea to puree it beforehand. The pumpkin is hollowed out beforehand and the seeds and stem are removed. Depending on the variety, the shell must also be removed. Then the pumpkin is steamed in a saucepan with a little water for about 20 minutes and then pureed. The finished must can now be filled into containers and frozen. This method allows you to quickly prepare the soup when you need it.
Canning Pumpkin
Aside from freezing the squash, canning it in a jar is also a good way to store the squash in small batches. Preserving is quite uncomplicated and you can use the pickled pumpkin for a very long time.
The following instructions for preserving refer to about 1 kg of pumpkin, which corresponds to about a medium-sized Hokkaido pumpkin. Depending on the amount of pumpkin, the other ingredients must also be adjusted.
How do you cook pumpkin properly?
- Wash the preserving jars thoroughly with washing-up liquid and briefly boil them in hot water (it is important that the jars are undamaged and leak-proof).
- Hole out the pumpkin, remove the stalk and pumpkin seeds. Peel the pumpkin (the exception is the Hokkaido pumpkin). Then cut into cubes.
- Heat 500 ml of water with a little vinegar and a pinch of s alt.
- Put the pumpkin cubes in the clean mason jars. Depending on your taste, spices such as bay leaves, mustard, cinnamon or chili can be added to the glass. The pumpkin pieces can be pressed lightly.
- Pour the mixture of water, vinegar and s alt into the glass with the pumpkin pieces almost to the top.
- The jars are now closed and boiled in the oven at 200 °C for about half an hour. The glasses should be placed in a water bath a few centimeters high.
- After preserving, turn off the oven and let the jars cool for a few hours.
In the end, the pumpkin is cooked and can be stored in a dark and cool place for several years.
Put the pumpkin
Pickling the pumpkin is even faster than cooking it. However, it doesn't last that long. A popular preparation is sweet and sour pickled pumpkin.
For pickling 1 kg of pumpkin you need:
- 200 ml water
- 250 ml white wine vinegar
- 250 g sugar
- 4-5 cloves
- 2 chili peppers
- 2 sticks of cinnamon
- Graved Lemon Zest
All ingredients except the pumpkin are first boiled together in a pot. The squash is peeled (except for the Hokkaido squash), hollowed out, seeded and diced. The pumpkin pieces are added to the boiling broth and cooked for a few minutes. The pumpkin cubes are then skimmed off and filled into previously boiled mason jars. Finally, the hot brew is poured over the pumpkin and the lid is closed. Depending on your taste, the pumpkin can also be seasoned with other ingredients.
Dry Pumpkin
Everyone has probably had this experience before: you carve out a Halloween pumpkin and use it as a spooky decoration - after a few days, however, the pumpkin is unfortunately already rotten and collapses. To avoid exactly that, it is worth drying the pumpkin. Larger pumpkins as well as ornamental pumpkins are ideal for this.
You should take your time to dry a pumpkin. Until that happensit can take 6 to 12 months. So that there is no infection by fungi or bacteria, especially at the beginning, the pumpkin should be washed carefully with warm soapy water. Then you should rinse it off with normal water and dry it with a towel. The actual drying then begins. To do this, the pumpkin is placed outside in a cool and dry place, preferably with good air circulation.
To avoid pressure points, the pumpkin should be turned from time to time. It is also important to ensure that rotten areas are carefully scraped off. With these instructions and a little luck, the pumpkin drying will go well and next year the Halloween pumpkins will last much longer as decoration. Depending on the size of the squash, drying can take anywhere from 6 months to a year.
In addition to the well-known Halloween pumpkin, there are numerous other types of pumpkin, some edible, some poisonous. We present the variety of pumpkins to you in this overview.