Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Who's Got The Pumpkin?

Thanks to Facebook, this morning I learned that today was National Pumpkin Day, which I guess makes sense during this week's run-up to Halloween. 

Boynton

Today I kept an eye out for interesting pumpkins. I didn't have to go far. The first one was right outside the condo building. 

One of the residents takes it upon herself to decorate the area around the front door. This summer the planters were filled with tall greenery and Creeping Jenny. When the weather started cooling off she swapped the greenery out for mums. Then one day small pumpkins joined the party. 

Yesterday there was heavy rain and a brisk wind. The leaves from the tree outside the building fell off in droves, covering the grass, sidewalk, and walkway. The lawn maintenance company will soon come and remove the layer of leaves. Until they do I'm being extra careful walking in the area.

The second vignette is right outside my condo's front door. 

The large one is, of course, pumpkin. The small one is a kabocha, sometimes called Japanese pumpkin. Although right now both squash are serving as a seasonal decoration, after October 31st they will be processed and cooked.

For the past month every grocery store I go into has a display of Halloween squash. At the full-service stores kabocha is priced as an 'exotic' (usually for about $3.50 a pound). However, I knew that the Asian market I frequent every couple of weeks sold them for a third of that price. Guess which store got my purchase?

Five years ago today: Eat The Whole Thing

19 comments:

  1. I keep waiting for my maintenance crew to get motivated and get those leaves moves. Maybe tomorrow.

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  2. There's quite a variety in our stores right now; including white ones. All sizes too.

    God bless.

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    1. In the past few years I've seen varieties of pumpkins I didn't even know existed.

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  3. There certainly is a variety of pumpkins and squash to choose from right now!

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    1. It seems like every year there are a larger number of types.

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  4. I haven't bought any squash yet this year. Sometimes by now there are stores trying to rid themselves of large quantities of acorn squash and they show up at overstock stores for sometimes a buck apiece. Not so far this year. I don't know what is different. I haven't seen a lot of pumpkins on porches either, not like other years. Maybe its the price---very high here, even with lots of pumpkin production in the valley.

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    1. I bought my pumpkin for a fairly good price at Aldi.

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  5. My wife decorates with a few pumpkins every year. This year she had a small fall display on the dining room table with some small fake pumpkins about two weeks ago. Our three year old granddaughter came home from preschool and saw the display and yelled "It's Pumpkin Day!". She was so excited.

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  6. I hate how much stores take advantage of customers. You really need to be vigilant in comparing prices to get your money's worth. Glad you knew where to get the kobacha at a reasonable price. I'm wondering if you'll really get your money's worth and eat it when you're done displaying it.

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    1. Since I regularly roast kabocha slices and freeze them for snacks I have no doubt that this one will get processed too.

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  7. My mom loves to cook kabocha. I've read somewhere that the word comes from a mixture of Cambodia and a Portuguese word for pumpkin. Not sure if it's true though.

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  8. I like walking with the boys in the neighborhood and looking at all the natural displays. I learned about a new pumpkin thanks to your post.

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    1. You're welcome! I love how we learn from each other on the Internet.

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