Back in early December last year, when the weather was hot and dry one Kent pumpkin seedling was planted in a raised garden bed as part of the summer plantings at Sturt House. We had wanted to plant more seedlings but that was all that was available from the garden shop on that day, and maybe that was a fortunate coincidence. When we returned from the summer break the garden bed was full of strong vine with tendrils spilling over the edge. Over the next four months it grew bigger and stronger, pushing through the garden fence in multiple directions and draping over the Westringia and Passion fruit bushes, creating magical nooks and crannies for the children to explore and play in. Flowers and then pumpkins were discovered. Daily reports of new sightings were investigated; three, five, no, seven pumpkins. Research was needed. When should pumpkins be picked and how could we use them? As the stems browned we harvested the pumpkins and placed them on the tin shed roof, eight pumpkins by this time, until we were ready to use them. The children thought it was a funny place to keep the pumpkins but that is what our research had advised us. Someone told us it reminded them of Malta where it is common practice. We began to cook with the pumpkins as part of our garden to table program; pumpkin scones, pumpkin soup and pumpkin pizza but….what to do with all the extra pumpkins (twelve pumpkins in totalRead more
