Gourmet gourds for eating and decorating

The October air is almost always infused with a hint of burning firewood from nearby chimneys of neighbours, a sign that we are getting closer to winter and time to enjoy the comforts of inside.

October has been a favourite month of mine for as long as I can remember. As a child I fondly recall the changing of landscape, collecting conkers and especially the build-up to Halloween!

Something that I have enjoyed in more recent years has been growing winter squash and mini gourds for both eating and decorative purposes. For Halloween displays there are some varieties of gourds that steal the show with their lumpy, bumpy skin. Ghoulish in nature.

There are many types of both edible and inedible fruits belonging to the gourd family. The most commonly known crops include cucumbers, marrow, winter and summer squash, pumpkins, luffas.

For a number of years, I have trained the sprawling ornamental gourds around an archway in the polytunnel. It allows light in and air to circulate the plants, helps the crop mature and is a great method of growing when you have limited space. The small ornamental fruits dangle from the leafy green structure creating an impressive autumn scene.

The ornamental gourds can be used in a few creative ways. When cured, the hard skin provides a versatile material to use for example, as a bird feeder or even as a bird house.

Another idea is to make decorative gourd lights. Use a sharp nail or screwdriver to poke patterns of holes on the sides. Then cut off the top and position a tea light inside. Small ornamental gourds can be fun alternatives to pumpkins when decorating for Halloween. Grouping and arranging the otherworldly shaped decorative fruits along the centre of a table as a centrepiece will provide a definite wow factor for Halloween festivities, and may inspire others to grow their own gourds next year.

These unusual ghoulish gourds make the perfect growing project for kids as the fruits are a much better size for handling than larger pumpkins. The array of spooky shapes and sizes offer a novelty factor and are definitely worth a try next spring.

Edible squash

When looking for a recipe to use your October harvest, you can never go wrong with a butternut squash pasta or even stuffed winter squash. I also find winter squash great for adding sweetness to everyday dinners – for example, chopping into chunks and adding to a black bean chilli, or simply roasted with some goat’s cheese.

If you have grown a surplus, make soup and freeze it for cold winter days. The possibilities with squash are endless, and homegrown vegetables taste even better than shop-bought so, if you have space, I would recommend adding some varieties to your seed list for next year. You’ll enjoy it more when it’s your own.