When we think “gardening expert,” a few local green thumbs might come to mind, but Dallas Arboretum’s Vice President of Gardens Dave Forehand certainly makes his way to the forefront. Each week, we’ll be sharing Forehand’s seasonal gardening tips and insight. First up: an appropriately topical post about pumpkins. Take it away, Dave!
It’s that time of year when big pumpkins squash and gourds are in the markets. Here at the Dallas Arboretum we have our nationally acclaimed pumpkin village and display all set up. We even have a display area that highlights each one of our 52 varieties of squash pumpkins and gourds. What you might not know is that a lot of these varieties are edible and not just edible but really good quality. If you want to create your own decorative fall display at home, if you choose wisely, you can have a beautiful display that is totally edible. Here are some of my favorites that you can find in our displays here at the Dallas Arboretum.
‘Table Ace’
This acorn type squash is very sweet, thanks to high sugar content. It’s great just baked and served hot.
‘Marina de Chioggia’
The heirloom winter squash comes from the small Italian seaside village of Chioggia. It looks great in a display. The dry, sweet flesh is ideal for Italian recipes that call for squash.
‘Speckled Hound’
This squash has a sweet nutty flavor. It’s green and light orange mottled skin is beautiful in display and so good to eat.
‘Pink Banana’
The beautiful, smooth outer skin is very versatile and can be used for many squash dishes. It can grow up to 50 pounds, so one fruit can serve a crowd.
‘Triamble’
This heirloom variety from Australia, has a great flavor, and it adds a lot to a decorative display.
‘Naples’
Another Italian variety, as the name implies. This heirloom can produce large long and slender fruits weighing up to 40 pounds. It has a rich sweet flavor.
‘Jarrahdale’
This steely-blue one is probably my favorite variety to use in cooking. It one comes to us from the town Jarrahdale in New Zealand.
These varieties are available at markets so have some fun and create a beautiful display that can be ‘harvested’ for great dishes through the season. Visit the Dallas Arboretum to get a close look at these varieties and get some great ideas for displaying pumpkins.
