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When most people think about Cinderella a pumpkin carriage comes to mind.
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Cinderella pumpkins are fun to grow, not to mention beautiful
Cinderella pumpkins are the ‘Rouge Vif D’etamps’ french heirloom pumpkins. This pumpkin was prized in the 1800’s for a great soup stock.
I’ll review Cinderella pumpkins and show you great heirloom pumpkins that offer the same enchantment
Rouge Vif D’etampes
(Cinderella Pumpkin)
It was love at first sight.
Seriously.
Gorgeous.
Cinderella pumpkins will be the first to colour in your pumpkin patch.
Unlike other pumpkins, they start off yellow rather then the traditional green of most pumpkins.
They can also be eaten at the yellow stage like a summer squash! This is an added bonus if you end up with some pumpkins that aren’t ripe before the first fall frost.
The transition from yellow, to orange, to a deep red is stunning and beautiful to witness throughout the summer.
Some of these pumpkins get very large. We made the mistake of lifting it by the handle (don’t!). This will reduce the shelf life of your pumpkins if you plant on curing and storing your pumpkins for the winter months.
The larger ones also have very deep ridges, just like that Cinderella pumpkin carriage.
Cinderella pumpkin uses
Other great heirloom pumpkins with Cinderella charm
There are some other heirloom pumpkins that offer those deep ridges and offer great fall displays.
Musquée de Provence
This deeply ridged pumpkin is gorgeous and is not a C. Maxima variety like the Rouge Vif D’etamps, they are actually a C. Moschata, the same kind as butternut squash. This pumpkin starts out as a dark forest green then cures into a gorgeous brown.
Image & Seeds from West Coast Seeds
Musquée de Provence heirloom pumpkin from Johnnys Seed
Long Island Cheese is a smaller pumpkin & easier to use later
Long Island Cheese pumpkins from Baker Creek Seeds
Valenciano pumpkins from Johnnys Seed
What is your favorite pumpkin to grow?
My name is Isis Loran, creator of the Family Food Garden. I’ve been gardening for over 10 years now and push the limits of our zone 5 climates. I love growing heirlooms & experimenting with hundreds of varieties, season extending, crunchy homesteading and permaculture.
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