Fall Decor Pumpkins/squash that are excellent eating

I have noticed it's the time of year for stores to have out bins of "Fall Decor! Pumpkins." This led to an amusing post in You know you're a permie when... involving me teaching a group of people at a store about winter squash.

So, in that same vein, I thought I'd toss a list and pics of some of the best eating squash/pumpkins that I see in the Decor bins around here so if you are looking at a bin full, and have your phone, you can pull up this list and choose something tasty. If you see something that looks close, try it, odds are high you will like it, heirloom squash have a lot of variety in how they look. Don't forget, these can be stored for months! And most of these are heirlooms, save the seeds!  In no particular order, these are the ones I hunt for.

To start with, basic cheap Jack o Lantern pumpkins are not tasty, not least not any I have ever tried. They could probably be hidden in recipes, but there are SO MANY better ones out there that I don't waste money on them.

Galeux d' Eysines

Galeux d' Eysines

 
One of my favorite pie pumpkins. I'm told the weird little warts (which look sort of like peanut shells, thus one of it's names "peanut pumpkin") are sugars bubbling out through the skin. Don't know if that's true, but I do know it's a smooth, sweet pumpkin, with good deep flavor. They run from deep orange, to pale orange, or even white, the warts are the giveaway for ID'ing them. Round, with a slight flattenedness, I have seen them from 5 pounds to about 20. Always worth getting! Edit: They come bigger!! I cooked a 35 pound one! I'll be putting pictures in the cooking thread mentioned in the post two posts after this one (https://permies.com/t/168143/Cooking-Fall-Decor-pumpkins-squash).

Candy Roaster

Candy Roaster Squash

Candy Roaster bumped the Galeux d' Eysines off my "favorite pie pumpkin" spot! Oh my... almost no texture to it, just super smooth and sweet. I baked one, took the baked pieces and stuffed it into freezer things with no other work, then took a few chunks and thawed them for pie. I didn't bother using beaters to make it, I did just fine with a fork, that's really non-stringy smooth texture when you can do that. Dusty orange with streaky freckles, long, curved, with a green top. That means "OH MY! Squash Pie!!" Might not store as long as the harder skinned ones, but bakes easy and freezes really well. My new favorite, Highly recommended!
Blue Doll

Blue Doll, Jarrahdale, or Queensland Blue

Edit: Hard to say what this is called, I met them as "Blue Doll" but Jarrahdal, or Queensland Blue, are probably the same thing. I think "Blue Doll" is probably a corruption of Jarrahdal. I'll keep calling them Blue Doll, just to have a name for them.
Blue Doll is my "workhorse" winter squash, I use it for everything. Great in any recipe that calls for butternuts, or pumpkin, they make excellent pies, general all around fantastic squash. If I could have only one type for a winter, I'd want it to be Blue Doll. They store well (past April in my garage,) cut easy, and cook fantastically! Kind of square looking, weird bluish-gray, other colors might be out there, try anything that looks like them :) Tend to run in the 15-20 pound range, great for baking and then freezing in chunks for future use.

Blue or Green Hubbard

Blue Hubbard Squash

The "Baby" ones may have only one point on the end. I only saw blue ones till last year, when I bought something green that looked like a Hubbard, and learned the Green Hubbard are just as good. One of my old favorites, may have been the first winter squash I ever kept for months (many years ago!) Always cooks up well, another "does anything workhorse" squash with excellent flavor. Main hazard of these is how big they get, I have seen them 35 pounds. But oooh, worth it! The blues are a blue-ish gray and the greens are deep forest green. The pointed ends is the giveaway that you have a Hubbard, and the size if you get a big one. Try one, bet you'll think it's worth the space it takes up too! There's a picture of a green one in the next post.

Long Island Cheese Pumpkin

Long Island Cheese Pumpkin

I randomly chose a Long Island a couple of years ago, and I'm VERY glad I did! The flavor is rich, deep, not ever watery or bland, and no bitter "squash" flavor that a lot of "normal" people dislike. I can get anyone to eat Long Islands. They are only 8-12 pounds, dusty looking orange to cream and kind of flattened, they look a lot like a wheel of cheese, which is where they got their name. Their flavor isn't cheese flavored, but in a way, it has that same depth and yummy quality of cheese. Makes an awesome vegan cheese sauce! Not so big you are afraid to drag one home, freeze well, store for many months. All around excellent pumpkin.

Lakota Squash

Lakota Squash

Grown by the Lakota Indians, and another one that stores really well, these are pear shaped, orange, often with green markings on them. They have a thick skin and are not likely to take damage when stored. And as long as the skin is intact, most winter squash will keep for months. I think these are some of the best for soup with their fine texture and deep flavor. They are medium large, under 15 pounds, often quite under that, so they aren't as scary to bring home as some of the huge ones. Very pretty, and very tasty!

Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin

Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin

These are easy to ID by their round shape and weird netted pattern, kind of like a cantaloupe. Generally bright orange and under 7 pounds, they are lovely and tasty. A classic of the pie type pumpkins, they are smooth and sweet. They store well, lasting till at least February or March if the skin is not damaged.

Unknown White Pumpkin: now ID'd as Ghost Pumpkins

Ghost Pumpkin

If anyone can ID this by the description, I'd love to know what it was, I LOVE it! It was white, about 15 pounds, pretty round, but the neat part was the texture. It's crispy, and holds that crispness through cooking, and even pressure canning. Excellent cut into cooking sized slices and canned up in broth or spices and used for stir fry later, no mushiness to it even after all that. Best canning squash I have ever met! I'm going to be trying random big white ones again, in hopes of finding another. Flavor is good, mild, slightly sweet, absorbs other flavors well.
Edit: These are so odd, they got their own thread. Ghost Pumpkin Abuse There seems to be two types of them, one that I like better than the other, check that thread for more info. Definitely not a pie pumpkin, but a great thing to play with if you like to experiment!  I made some excellent dill pickles out of them.


So, what else needs to be on this list? I'm trying to make this a thread that you can open on your phone when you are staring at a bin of decor pumpkins wondering what they are and which are tasty. Help make this a useful resource, what have you seen in the decor bins that you know are worth eating?

:D

Some excellent pumpkins/squash that are probably not going to be in the Decor bins want to be listed too as they are very tasty and store well. So in no obvious order, same really yummy squash that is available in fall and will store well.

Acorn Squash

Acorn Squash

These are familiar to most people, as they are very common in stores. They are small (under 3 pounds) deep green or speckling to yellow, with deeply dented ribbing. in storage they will turn yellow, but as long as the skin is intact, they are still good eating. These are commonly cut in half, filled with spices or meats, and baked. Easy to find, easy to store, lots of recipes available. I have had the rare one last till April, most need to be eaten before February is over. Some are heirloom, most in the store are not, but even their seeds generally produce a recognizable squash.

Butternut

Butternut Squash

Nothing else looks like a butternut, if you think it probably is one, it is. Smooth, light brown, a thick neck and a fat bottom, it will have lovely dark orange flesh and an excellent flavor. A lot of people who only like one squash will choose butternuts. They are VERY common in stores, and generally grown commercially, so not heirloom types, but they still grow good squash from the seeds. They store really well, I have had them last until well in the next summer, and had one hold till the new fall crop came in. Good storage squash, and not big, under 5 pounds usually, and incredibly versatile. They make good pies, soups, go into a lot of dishes, and are great simply roasted with spices. Always a good squash to choose!

Kabocha

Kabocha Squash

I'm glad to see these being a lot more common, when I first saw them I only saw them in Oriental grocery stores, now they are at the cheap store in this tiny town I live in. I'm glad to see them because they are OH SO TASTY as well as small (under 8 pounds) and easy to store. I have had them last till April in storage, at least, my notes on the seeds I kept out of one say "would have held longer, but I was hungry." :D Smooth, close to round, dark green skin, although when I was looking for a picture for this, I see there's a bright orange cultivar of it too. Another of my "does everything fantastically" varieties, I rank them with butternut for flavor and versatility. And their small size makes them easy to store. The seeds I have gathered and planted all look like a kabocha, so although they are growing them commercially, the seeds seem to come pretty true to type.

Spaghetti Squash

Another easy to ID one, and really common to see in stores. Grows like a crazy thing, I highly recommend trying to grow them if you aren't growing squash yet. I had one plant, that I neglected, put out 23 squash! Yellow, very oval, very smooth, under 3 pounds. They last LONG in storage, have had more than one last till the next winter after the fall they were picked. They are tough to get open, check my other thread on squash Cooking Fall Decor pumpkins/squash for my chisel trick, and for a good reason to cut them or at least stab them well before baking them! As for taste, they are in their own category. The flesh comes out in spaghetti looking layers! A lot of people use them as gluten free spaghetti, taste like it too, many recipes for that. I have also taken slices made across the grain and marinated them well, the cracks take marinate, and gotten some really neat effects with them. Highly recommended, if you haven't tried one, do so, they are weird, fun and different. Kids are fascinated by them.

For anyone who has bought one of these weird looking squash out of a bin full of odd things I made another thread. It's technically called Cooking Fall Decor Pumpkins/Squash but subtitled  "NOW what do I do with this thing!?" I picked an innocent victim weird looking squash and demonstrated what I did to it, and explained it all, including how to save the seeds! These bins are often full of heirloom squash, and they will grow up to be like the parents if you save your seeds. Look at the variety! The dark green ones are Green Hubbards, I got one of those today. YUM!

Bin full of heirloom Fall Decor squash

How to pick a good one:
Choose something that appeals to you. Thump it, does it sound solid or like it's kinda mushy? If it doesn't make a good clean sounding thump, put it back, might not be good to cook. Check the skin for breaks, or wounds. Rot starts in those. It takes a while to work it's way in, and can be cut out of a squash if there is any, but if you hope to store them you want good clear skin. If you are eating it right away, it matters less. Poke any iffy looking spots, if it gooshes there, it won't last in storage. if it gooshes just a bit, it'll cook up fine soon. My innocent victim in the new thread would have kept for maybe 2 weeks, that's why it got cut and cooked right away.

We have a fabulous "pick your own" pumpkin farm near us. They grow about 20 varieties of amazing tasty pumpkins. We'll be going in a few months, and I'll take some pictures. We tried some great varieties last year. Not that I can remember the names now!

There was one that tasted of roasted sweet chestnuts. We'll definitely be getting more of them!

Awesome post Pearl - thank you!

As a Brit, who has many US friends and lived here for two years, I still don’t get pumpkin pie. Give me an apple crumble any day!
However, winter squash, butternut squash or a kobucha all make excellent eating in autumn and winter stews or in a tray of roast veg. I’ve grown them before and they’re perfect for long term storage long term - I’ve had some last a whole year.

I’ll keep an eye out for blue doll and hubbards.

Pearl Sutton wrote:These bins are often full of heirloom squash, and they will grow up to be like the parents if you save your seeds.

Yes, many of the varieties are heirlooms, but the ones grown for decoration were probably not isolated. So there's a good chance that the seeds you save may turn out to be hybrids.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, just something to be aware of.

Oh no - someone read your post and cleared out all the good ones.

If you are watching this thread, be sure to check the first two posts every so often, I keep adding more to them as I have time :D

Butternut, spaghetti and acorn squashes seem to be available in the stores here year round. And I just saw buttercup squashes next to them at the same price of 72 cents per pound. I need to stock up some more in case they are seasonal.

Small, but very decorative squash is Jack Be Little. Also Delicata, Munchkin and Baby Boo (white one) are small adnd beautiful. I also like pattypan squashes, which come in various colors (I have yellow, green and white).

I have an unusual affinity for winter squash. I'd grow 3 or 4 varieties every year if I had the space.  But then they'd just hang around. I rarely cook them. I'm the only squash fan.

I love the look of your blue doll, Pearl! I shall be on the lookout for seed. I've grown butternuts, kabocha, Lakota and an Italian version of butternut called violina. Most kept fairly well in my warmer Southern California winter for a couple months at least. I've also had good results with Big Max, getting a number of fruits that were 25, 40, 65, and up to 85 pounds! I gave some away, let the kids carve some, and baked others in large chunks to puree and freeze for plenty of pumpkin breads. That was the standard Christmas present one year, pumpkin bread of one size or another.

I'm very interested in how thick the flesh is. I think its a total waste of space to find out after I've either grown or just purchased a pumpkin to find thin walls between the skin and seed cavity. My favorite in this aspect has been a jarrahdale, looking much like that blue doll above. Rather squatty, a greyish blue color with deep orange, thick-walled flesh. I wish I could remember the flavor profile.

This is an excellent and really useful post. Thank you so much.

Cindy Haskin wrote:
I'm very interested in how thick the flesh is. I think its a total waste of space to find out after I've either grown or just purchased a pumpkin to find thin walls between the skin and seed cavity. My favorite in this aspect has been a jarrahdale, looking much like that blue doll above. Rather squatty, a greyish blue color with deep orange, thick-walled flesh. I wish I could remember the flavor profile.

All the blocky greyish looking ones I have had were excellent. The variety I see most around here is sold as "Blue Doll" so that's what I call them. Not sure what the differences are between the types, might just be names. If so, the flavor profile of the Blue Dolls is deep, rich, mellow,no squashy overtones at all. Not super sweet, not bland or bitter either. I use them for any and all things, and they have very deep flesh.

Check how heavy it is to determine how much filling it has. Lifting a jack o lantern and a blue doll of the same size, the blue doll will be MUCH heavier.

Terry Winkelmann wrote:This is an excellent and really useful post. Thank you so much.

Glad you find it useful! Welcome to Permies!!

I love pumpkins and squashes. Bf took me to a pumpkin farm earlier this week and I now have the following stash:

From the supermarket - 2 mystery mini orange pumpkins, 2 mystery mini white pumpkins, and a big yellowish one with orange stripes.

From last year - 1 F1 silver leafed bush squash that I grew myself  plus a small crown Prince from either supermarket or farm shop.

From the pumpkin farm - 1 onion squash, 1 medium crown Prince, 1 Turks turban, 1 kabocha, 1 Tuffy, 1 stripy one that I can’t remember the name. I think it might be carnival or festival or something like that.

Pearl,
Thank you. I just picked up a Blue Doll to try for the first time.

And if you don’t mind, I’ll add one.  The Pennsylvania Dutch Crooked Neck Squash.  It was my grandmother’s go to pie pumpkin and my favorite today.  Think of it somewhat like an overgrown butternut.

Kevin: Welcome to Permies! I'm glad you are trying a Blue doll, and thank you for ID'ing that squash for me, I always just assumed it was a butternut.
:D

Also not in the decor bins, but fairly new, is a hybrid of the butternut squash.  The smaller, darker fleshed and sweeter honeynut squash.  I found it yesterday at an Amish produce stand. I picked up several to try, as they were selling it 3 for $1.

Pearl? Do you think this is your blue doll? Bought at a local smart & final listed as an heirloom. Cost me $9.

Yup! That will be good eating! It's small, the ones I see are usually 15+ pounds, but it's either the same thing, or a very closely related one.
:D

This was the smaller of 2 or 3. This one is now roasting in the oven, slow and low. The seeds are fat and sassy! That has to be a good sign. Saving them to grow after the move. I may go looking for a 2nd fruit to increase the genetic pool.

You've grown these? What are the average returns per plant? Do you know which tribe it falls into? Surely not pepo. I may have to hunt it down in literature. Where did you get your original seed?

I'll hush now.

That's what they look like when cut, yup, you'll like that one :D
And those do look like very viable seeds!

I tried to grow them, from seeds I got out one I bought, but lost them to the squash beetles (which is why I'm buying squash, lost all of them) but someone else I gave seeds to got good looking huge ones off his plants, at least 6 per plant.

Best way to ID them is by Joseph Lofthouse's ID write ups...  

On Permies his excellent post on Identifying squash: https://permies.com/t/46560/Maxima-Moschata-Pepo#371682

And the better version on his web site: http://garden.lofthouse.com/how-to-identify-squash.phtml#grouped


I just started cooking dessert for tonight: Tapioca pudding with chai spices and Candy Roaster squash! I think it will be excellent! I happened to have Candy Roaster in the fridge freezer, would have been great with Blue Doll or Gayleuse too :D

So, after hunting thru my copy of SEED TO SEED (Suzanne Ashworth), checking for anything with a "blue doll" name, I've only found baby blue name listed as a Maxima variety, and a Hubbard specifically. Nothing Blue Doll. I do NOT think the squash I have pictured above is a hubbard. I DO THINK it's a smaller version of a jarrahdale, also a maxima. I also did some internet searching, and the closest look-alike is a Queensland blue, but it's shape is more rounded, without the deep ribbing of the specimen I have processed. Guess what does have that deep ribbing? The Jarrahdale.

The flesh of the one pictured above is mild in flavor, not too dry.

I'd accept Jarrahdale, like I said above, Blue Doll is what I met them as. Someone else said Queensland Blue, I'd accept that too. Heirloom squash acquire a lot of names in a lot of areas.

In a seperate thread on squash breeding, I have discovered that some ornamental gourds can be eaten as Summer squash when they are picked early. The fruits tend to be very small, about the size of a chicken egg, when picked early and the plants often have poor fruit yields unless they are protected from squash vine borers and powdery mildew.

It's squash time again!!

It's currently fall of 2022, and I saw bins of squash at the store yesterday!!

Edward Norton wrote:Oh no - someone read your post and cleared out all the good ones.

Edward, those dark green acorn squash, in that pic are my absolute favorite for roasting. Cut in half, scoop out the seeds, slather it with butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast it until its fork tender. Mmmmm.... I could make a meal out of that, alone - SO good!!

Edward, those dark green acorn squash, in that pic are my absolute favorite for roasting. Cut in half, scoop out the seeds, slather it with butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast it until its fork tender. Mmmmm.... I could make a meal out of that, alone - SO good!!

Good to know. I’ve just realised I’ve been on Permies for a year. It started with pumpkins and squash and here they are again!

Pearl Sutton wrote:It's squash time again!!

It's currently fall of 2022, and I saw bins of squash at the store yesterday!!

I can't wait to see what arrives around here. I'd like to find a big blue hubbard. I'm a bit obsessed with the blue grey skins. I prefer a sweeter flavor and drier fleshed. I'll try to get photos as I find them. Quivering in excitement with you Pearl!

Pearl Sutton wrote:It's squash time again!!

It's currently fall of 2022, and I saw bins of squash at the store yesterday!!

Thank you for reviving this thread! So much useful info! We've got plenty of pumpkins,  honeynut, a hybrid and a few acorns. Most are already cited and stored in the basement. I've very interested in the white one that holds texture well and will be watching for fall decor bins this week!

Can anyone identify this pumpkin? I have several types growing but have no clue what kind this is or even where the seeds came from. Could it be a hybrid of Galeux d' Eysines & another kind?

Here they are again .... :)

Mike Barkley wrote:Can anyone identify this pumpkin? I have several types growing but have no clue what kind this is or even where the seeds came from. Could it be a hybrid of Galeux d' Eysines & another kind?

First question is where did the seed come from? If saved seed, I can easily see these as a cross pollination of the Galeux and something that has that shape. Perhaps one shaped like maybe a banana squash?

I've done it with the pepo tribe. Got a white zucchini from saved seed, that grew beside a white patty pan. I no longer grow 2 of any tribe in the same year. But I will when I start my land race experiment of blue grey skinned winter squash!

All the tiny pumpkins are cute. I just don't see the purpose of them, and don't/won't grow them. Just my take. I lean heavy into growing things I can use, whether it's to eat, use medicinally, or gives me pleasure to look at or as an aroma therapy...

I need to go see what's available at my local health food store and Smart and Final store. Build my seed stash some more!!

The tiny ones can still be good fodder for livestock & wildlife, once their decorative purpose is done.

The weirdo pumpkins came from saved seed. Mostly from my own gardens but have never grown any with that shape.  I have many butternut squash this year & a few have that same general shape but not nearly as large. Hard to determine scale from that pic but they are full sized pumpkins. Haven't cut them open yet so don't know what they taste like.

Mike Barkley wrote:The weirdo pumpkins came from saved seed. Mostly from my own gardens but have never grown any with that shape.  I have many butternut squash this year & a few have that same general shape but not nearly as large. Hard to determine scale from that pic but they are full sized pumpkins. Haven't cut them open yet so don't know what they taste like.

I keep a layout of my gardens, noting what grows where, dates planted, if I'm saving seed, etc. Without that diagram/map, I'd never have remembered the zucchini and pattypan growing side by side when the zucchini seeds I saved grew out white "ghostie" zucchini!

I grow the tiny ones for my rabbits.   Then I can store them whole and not worry about trying to figure out how to dry or save the rest once I start cutting it up for them.  The tiny ones I can cut in half and give each hutch a piece, and they nibble and eat it over about 2-3 days.

Heather Staas wrote:
I grow the tiny ones for my rabbits.   Then I can store them whole and not worry about trying to figure out how to dry or save the rest once I start cutting it up for them.  The tiny ones I can cut in half and give each hutch a piece, and they nibble and eat it over about 2-3 days.

I think this is brilliant! I'm pretty sure the same idea would work for chickens and pigs, too. In fact, I could see several of them hanging from the coop ceiling, like they hadn't cabbages, to keep the chickens not only fed, but entertained.

Yes, I should keep better records. Most years I start with a garden map. Then something will die so it might be replaced with something else. Or something new is squeezed into any available space as the season progresses. The map rarely gets updated. I try to keep things far enough apart to avoid crossbreeding unless that is the goal. I have had some interesting squash combos before but I think this is the first year I grew any pumpkin besides Seminole pumpkin. Again, I should keep better records. Doesn't really matter though. If it tastes good I'll label the seeds lumpy football pumpkin & it will be good to go for next time. I lost track of most tomato & pea varieties long ago. As long as it grows to maturity & tastes good it's a winner as far as I'm concerned.