Every year I grow a beautiful pumpkin archway at my allotment plot. It’s one fo the highlights of my growing year and I get so excited when the mini pumpkins start to grow, hanging down like Christmas ornaments. They are so easy to grow and you get so many from just one plant.
I tend to stick to Jack be Little pumpkins and Baby Boo’s as these are the varieties that tend to grow the best for me. They are small varieties of pumpkin which means they can be supported by the archway without bringing the whole thing down!
Growing pumpkins vertically or over an archway has many benefits. Not only does it save tonnes of space (pumpkin plants are always very big, no matter what variety you grow), but it also keeps them away from the ground where they can easily rot or get eaten!
I get a lot of questions about how to cook these mini pumpkins. You can actually eat the entire thing (skin included) but I don’t really like to eat the outside! I love cooking the entire pumpkin as it looks incredible and they make great vessels for a variety of ingredients.
This recipe is my savoury one and stuffed with delicious ingredients like wild rice, bacon and leeks. The truth is, you can stuff a pumpkin with whatever you like!
You can either cook your pumpkin in the oven, which will take between 25-40 minutes depending on the size of it. Or, you can cook it in the microwave by whizzing it round for about 4 minutes. It does taste better when cooked in an oven, but the microwave is a great way of saving some time (a bit like a jacket potato really!)
SAVOURY STUFFED MINI PUMPKINS
INGREDIENTS:
- Jack be little pumpkins
- Wild rice
- Bacon
- Leeks
- Mozerella cheese
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
RECIPE:
- Start by rubbing Olive Oil over the outside of your Jack be Little pumpkin and then place on a baking tray in the centre of your oven at about 180/200 degrees for 30 minutes.
- While that’s cooking, cook your wild rice and fry some bacon with the leeks. Mix together well.
- The pumpkin should come out nice and soft. Stick a fork in it to see if it’s done. If it is, cut out the head and scoop out the seeds to save for later.
- Spoon in your mixture and top with grated mozzarella cheese. Return to the grill and grill for about 5 minutes, until the cheese has melted.
As I said before, this recipe can be easily adapted to your individual taste. For example, you could take out the bacon and replace with mushrooms or you could add a spoon of Worcester sauce for a bit of a zing. I’ve not included any measurements because to be honest, I don’t like being too precise with recipes. Add or take out as much or little as you please!
In terms of cooking the pumpkin, it can take up to 45 minutes to go soft in the oven. If you choose to microwave it instead, just whack the whole pumpkin in without rubbing any oil on the skin and whizz for about 4 minutes.
It’s also so much easier to cut the pumpkin open and scoop out the seeds AFTER it has been cooked (unless you plan on saving the seeds to grow again. In that case, do it before). Be careful not to scoop out too much of the actual pumpkin flesh when you do this. You can save the seeds and roast later, they are totally edible!
To eat, simply scoop out the pumpkin filling and enjoy. Scrape the sides of the pumpkin as you eat to pick up as much of the pumpkin flesh as possible, it should be soft and delicious.
Enjoy!
