The heat of summer 2022 is gradually coming to an end and in Bavaria the pumpkin harvest is already in full swing. Above all, the bright orange, yellow or green vegetable heads are the epitome of Halloween. Pumpkins are not only perfect as autumn and spooky decorations, they also taste really good! The numerous varieties are versatile: as a vegetable side dish, casserole, soup, smoothie or as a sweet cake.
However, if you want to conjure up a delicious pumpkin dish, you also have to cut the vegetables into the right portion sizes. Anyone who has ever cut a pumpkin knows that it is such a thing. The hard shell poses a problem for almost every knife. Chopping pumpkins is really exhausting!
But you can breathe a sigh of relief: there is a simple trick that you can use to cut the vegetables without much effort in the future. Your helper: the oven. Yes, you’ve read that correctly. Depending on the size, put the whole pumpkin in the oven for about 30 to 45 minutes at 150 degrees top and bottom heat. Then you let it cool down a bit – et voilà: the pumpkin is much easier to cut.
Due to the heat of the oven, the pumpkin is far from fully cooked, but it is still soft enough for a normal kitchen knife to cut through. Guaranteed to work! As usual, you can first cut the pumpkin in half and hollow out the core with a spoon.
If you don’t know what to do with the pumpkin, here’s an easy soup recipe that never goes wrong – and it’s even vegan. For about four servings you will need:
First you use our pumpkin trick and then cut it into cubes about two centimeters in size. The potatoes are also diced. The carrots are peeled and cut into slices about one centimeter thick. Garlic and onion are finely diced, the ginger is grated and the orange is squeezed.
In a large saucepan, sauté the onions in olive oil over medium heat, then briefly add the garlic. Then stir in the ginger, carrots, potatoes and finally the pumpkin and sauté briefly. The whole thing is deglazed with the orange juice and poured over with the broth. Cover and simmer over medium-high heat for about 25 to 30 minutes, until tender.
Then finely puree the soup with a blender and season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. If you like it exotic, you can also add coconut milk, then the proportion of vegetable broth will be reduced accordingly.
By the way: The pumpkin season starts in August and reaches its peak in October. Pumpkin season is usually over in mid-November. One of the most popular varieties of edible pumpkin in Germany is the Hokkaido, which, by the way, can also be eaten with its skin on without any problems. Its main harvest time starts around the beginning of September, just like the nutmeg pumpkin. Butternut squash will follow in mid-September.
If stored correctly – cool and dark – a pumpkin will last for a long time. Once you have cut the pumpkin, it can be kept fresh unprocessed in the refrigerator for about two to three days. Well, then: get to the vegetables!
If you can’t get enough of the pumpkin – here you can find out more interesting facts about the vegetable:
Our pumpkin tips were first published in October 2021.
