Awaiting a Visit by The Great Pumpkin

We brought a packet of pumpkin seeds back from a farmers' market in France two years ago. They sat among my seed packets until this spring when Maggie and I made a small hill in the back corner of the garden and planted four or five of the seeds.

Because the package language is in french, I can't tell you much about them, other than they are named Kürbis Rouge trés d'Etampes, which roughly translates to: Very hasty Red Kurbis of Stamps. So, that's not very helpful. Ed just informed me that d'Etampes is a suberb of Paris. These pumpkins are evidently quite reknown in France and are often called "Cinderella" pumpkins as they are wonderfully round and squat – the perfect shape for a carriage.

On the back, I can kinda make out that they are supposed to become numerous fruits with smooth orange red skin. The flesh is moderately sweet and best for storage, pies and purees. Weight up to 5 kg. Harvest if the stem is brown.

In any event, it is thrilling for me to go out to the garden in the morning and check out these glorious pumpkins. The vines are flowing everywhere; there are a bunch of yellow flowers, and so far, two large pumpkins have appeared – almost overnight.

So come October, I'm hoping to have pumpkins to carve, seeds to toast, and pumpkin flesh to make into soups and pies. In the meantime, come sit with me some night in the pumpkin patch and see if we are visited by The Great Pumpkin. Good Grief.