Carved pumpkins are exposed to bacteria that can attach to pumpkin flesh after being cut. It is the pumpkin season this fall, and it is better to eat pumpkin within 24 hrs once it is carved.
Millions of pumpkins are cultivated in the UK every year as pumpkin carving increases in popularity. The pumpkins sold around Halloween are edible, but their taste is not as good as the pumpkins they grow. They are more likely to be watery and fibrous.
Which Pumpkins Are Best For Carving?
Travis Nordgren, a principal buyer for Whole Foods Market, says, “There are several varieties of traditional jack-o’-lantern pumpkins that are best suited for carving – Racer, Magic Wand, and Zeus, to name a few.”
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“These varieties are usually an intense orange in color, symmetrical in shape, and hold up well when carved.”
But the pumpkins you buy for cooking are named after Sugar Pie and Cinderella. The beautiful peanut pumpkins are more delightful than carving pumpkins.
Which Pumpkins Are Best For Cooking?
Canned Pumpkins is the best option, but other options are at the grocery store and farmer’s market.
“The smaller ‘sugar pie’ pumpkins are commonly used for cooking and eating. They are thicker, more dense flesh than carving pumpkins as well as better texture and sugar content, providing a much better-eating experience,” says Nordgren.
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These types of squash are sometimes called sugary pumpkins, pie pumpkins, or sweet pumpkins. Nordgren added, “In addition to the more miniature pie pumpkins, the Long Island Cheese Pumpkin is known as one of the better-tasting varieties and is an excellent option for stuffing and roasting.”
The fact is that carving pumpkins don’t make the best ingredients can seem like a big problem of waste potential, but the good news is that they are compostable and a good source of feed for livestock.