3 Heirloom Pumpkins

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by Rob Cardillo
Heirloom pumpkin varieties from left to right: 'Iranian', 'Marina di Chioggia’ and "Galeux D'Eysines.'

Try growing a Galeux d’Eysines, Marina di Chioggia, or Iran heirloom pumpkins with a different appearance for superior flavor and a different take on pumpkin varieties. All three will forever change your perception of pumpkins.

Grow These Heirloom Pumpkin Varieties

Each fall I get a sinking feeling when I drive past farm stands loaded with acres of orange field pumpkins. Yes, they’re fun for Halloween, but their bland flavor has given pumpkins a bad rap. And anyway, why are we encouraging a mono-culture devoted to the sort of pumpkins that are best sold in cans? There are lots of other wonderful culinary pumpkins with high decorative value: It’s a shame we don’t see more of them in our markets. Here is a trilogy of heirloom varieties I highly recommend for gardeners with room for long trailing vines. One is French, one is Italian and one is from Iran.

All three varieties belong to the species Cucurbita maxima, which means two things: the fruits and vines are large, and if you plant them together, they’ll cross and you won’t want to save their seed. In flavor and culinary value, these three are definite winners and even if I don’t always grow them myself, I make an annual beeline to the farmers who do.

Marina di Chioggia, or Chioggia Sea Pumpkin

  • Updated on Mar 31, 2023
  • Originally Published on Oct 1, 2007
Tagged with: heirloom seeds, heirloom varieties
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