A Harrogate couple who have grown an absolutely gigantic pumpkin have invited people to guess its weight to raise money for charity.
Ian and Natalie Hutton have raised £300 for St Michael’s Hospice so far but hope as they travel around with the pumpkin that they can raise even more.
The pair have been outside St Michael’s shop on Ripon Road. Today and tomorrow they’re at the Wellington Inn in Darley and will be at Kendalls Farm Butchers on Skipton Road next Friday.
If you cannot visit the pumpkin in person but want to donate then you can do so on JustGiving by clicking or tapping here.
Not your average pumpkin!
For £1 people can guess the weight. Whoever is closest will win a surprise first prize. The second prize is a £30 pork pie voucher from Kendalls and third will take home a scarf from Shine on King’s Road.
Read more:
- Beech Grove closure officially extended until August 2022
- Harrogate new build owner defends development after negative publicity
- Queues for opening of new Hotel Chocolat store and cafe
A very proud Mr Hutton, who has been perfecting his pumpkins for the last six years, told the Stray Ferret:
“It’s about choosing the right seeds, getting them in the ground at the right time. Then it takes a lot of luck and a lot of water. I have been giving it about five gallons a day.
“A lot of people ask if we have pumped steroids into it but everything we grow is natural.
“We have lost a couple of friends who were looked after by St Michael’s Hospice so we wanted to give back. Now is the right time to donate, especially after coronavirus curtailed fundraising.”
When the fundraising is over Mr Hutton is going to attempt to carve it for Halloween and take the seeds to try and grow an even bigger pumpkin next year.
Just to give you an idea of the weight of gigantic pumpkins -the current Guiness World Record for heaviest pumpkin is 2,624 pounds and 9.6 ounces, which was grown by Mathias Willemijns in Belgium.
Stray Kitchen: Power to the Pumpkin
Stray Kitchen is our column all about food written by renowned local produce expert, food writer and chef, Stephanie Moon. Stephanie is a champion of food produced in the UK and particularly in Yorkshire and the Harrogate district.
With their bright cheery appearance, pumpkins are guaranteed to make you smile even on the rainiest of dull autumnal days. But do you know the difference between the crown prince and the pie master pumpkins? If I am being perfectly honest, until I went to experience Yorkshire’s pumpkin patches myself, I didn’t! Turns out, the crown prince is a great eating pumpkin with plenty of weight, while the pie master is an American favourite, bright orange, sweet pumpkin that’s perfect for pies.
Having been in North Carolina “in the fall”, I can assure you that these are the people who really celebrate the pumpkin and all things Halloween. After all it is an original American festival. Bright orange, pale white, and yellow and green pumpkins garland their verandas like the prize offerings that they are. People really go to town with their elaborate displays, which are literally massive.
As a nation I think we are catching on, and although I am not a lover of pumpkin pie, I can see its charm. It’s the spice addition to the pumpkin I love. Last year I visited Farmer Copley’s farm shop near Pontefract, where there are over 130,000 pumpkins for you to pick and carve. I used some spices and classic Yorkshire ingredients to make a lovely pumpkin dhal – you can find the recipe here.
Steph with some enormous pumpkins, and her pumpkin dhal
The leathery skin takes some carving or peeling, but here are my tips for how to prepare a pumpkin:
- Use a serrated knife to saw off the base of the pumpkin so it sits flat on the chopping board.
- Carefully carve around the rounded edge to release the skin in a sawing motion, slowly and with intent.
- Once your pumpkin is peeled, slice in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
- The fleshy strands and pulp inside can be used, and make great soup and risotto.
- The seeds can be dried, spiced and toasted.
- Chop up roughly, brush with olive or local rapeseed oil, and roast in a hot oven.
- To intensify the flavour and to add more, drizzle with a little honey, a few knobs of butter and some sea salt. For a vegan alternative, add maple syrup and coconut oil.
Read More:
So where can we go to pick our own pumpkin locally, or a little further afield?
- Birchfield ice cream farm, Summerbridge
- Spilmans Family Farm, Sessay near Thirsk
- Farmer Copley’s Farm Shop and pumpkin festival, Pontefract
- Cedarbarn farm shop, Pickering – there’s even a children’s train to ride straight to the patch
- William’s Den adventure play centre, North Cave
Lets all get pumped for pumpkin! In the meantime, I’m going to dust off my broom!
Steph x