3 Heirloom Pumpkins

There are many wonderful culinary pumpkins with high decorative value besides the traditional Halloween species.

By William Woys Weaver
Updated on December 17, 2024
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by Rob Cardillo

Try growing Galeux d’Eysines, Marina di Chioggia, or Iran heirloom pumpkins and experience their unique appearance and superior flavor. 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

The history of this pumpkin is well-documented thanks to the research of professor Herwig Teffner of the University of Graz in Austria. According to Teffner, this pumpkin evolved around Venice in the latter part of the 1600s. It takes its name from the fishing village of Chioggia, which became a major source of produce for Venetians once the salt marshes nearby were drained and cultivated.

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