Pumpkin picking with the children is one of our half term highlights in October and I hope they never get too old to enjoy it. My favourites are the little warty gourds - the shapes and textures and the autumnal colour palette are really interesting so I sneaked a few into the wheelbarrow and am looking forward to sketching them later.
Once we’ve picked our pumpkin, the serious business begins. With a bit of help scooping out the flesh, the children get to work designing this year’s creation whilst I start making the pumpkin soup – it’s a family favourite and the shallots and herbs have come out of the garden too which makes it taste even better. Toasting the seeds gives a lovely crunchy topping to the soup too.
As the carved pumpkin starts to pass its best, we remove the candle and put it in the compost for the worms to enjoy – there seems to be quite a bit of mixed advice out there about whether to leave pumpkins out for wildlife, but they are indigestible to hedgehogs and can make them ill just when they need to fatten up for their winter hibernation. We get lots of prickly visitors to our garden so we feel that the best option for us is to recycle the old pumpkin in the compost where it will enrich the soil for next year’s veggies.
Pumpkin and Ginger Soup Recipe
Ingredients | Serves 4
- 1kg pumpkin
- 1 large shallot, peeled and chopped
- 75g ginger
- 1 tbsp honey
- A few sprigs of fresh herbs, such as chive or mint
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 125ml coconut milk
- Chilli powder to taste
Top tip: Use white pepper if you don't want your soup to appear speckly.
Method
- Deseed and roughly chop the pumpkin, peel and chop the shallots, then peel and finely grate the ginger. Pick and finely chop the herbs.
- Heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the shallots, ginger and pumpkin until soft. Add the honey.
- Stir in the stock, coconut milk and chilli powder. Season, then bring to the boil and simmer for 40 minutes.
- Blitz in a food processor then serve in a Wrendale bowl with the fresh herbs and a swirl of cream.
- Enjoy!
Loved this recipe? Enjoy more in our gorgeous Wrendale gardening journal which features a different recipe every month.