Choosing the Best Pumpkins for Cooking or Decorating

When we hear the word pumpkin, we usually think of the orange kind that we carve for jack-o-lanterns. But visit any farmer’s market in October, and you’ll discover a whole world of enchanting and bizarre pumpkins. If you don’t know anything about these cucurbits, it’s easy to gravitate towards the orange ones you know. But in doing so, you might miss the chance to enjoy some of the tastiest harvest of the year! Plus, you might unwittingly walk away with something that looks great on your porch but doesn’t hold up for your fall pumpkin recipes. If you’re looking to expand your knowledge of pumpkins, here’s a guide of the best varieties for cooking and decorating!  

The Basic Differences Among Pumpkins

Decorative pumpkins are grown for their appearance and the ease with which they can be carved while cooking pumpkins are grown for the flesh on the inside. As a result, cooking pumpkins will often feel heavier than they appear. The hefty weight is a telltale sign that they have much to offer your dinner plate. By contrast, decorative pumpkins feel about as heavy as they look or sometimes unexpectedly lighter. Less flesh on the inside makes a pumpkin easier to carve.  

"Pumpkins are among the most intriguing, haunting, and beautiful displays of the fall."

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The Best Pumpkins for Decorating

You can paint them, carve them, or arrange them on your front steps. Some people place them in their gardens or even plant flowers inside of them. Pumpkins are among the most intriguing, haunting, and beautiful displays of the fall.

• Jack-O-Lantern is the classic carving pumpkin. It has broad, smooth skin with shallow ribs. The soft rind and thin layer of flesh inside makes it easy to cut through. As this variety is intended to be used for decoration, the meat may be stringy or bitter, but the roasted seeds make a tasty treat for the kids.
• Mini Pumpkins are actually a type of gourd rather than a pumpkin. They make a great addition to your centerpiece or porch display.
• One Too Many have beautifully patterned skin, with orange lines against a creamy base tone. Placing a few of these around your yard gives the whole landscape an enchanting style.
  

The Best Pumpkins for Cooking

The best pumpkins for eating include many of the strange and mysterious shapes you’ll find among decorative pumpkin varieties. You can use all cooking pumpkins in any dish, whether in soup, roasted vegetables, or pie. But those with a creamy texture and sweet taste are especially good in pie, and have been bred for that purpose. Others are simply grown for their rich flavor and nutrition that can be enjoyed like any winter squash. Of course, just because they're delicious doesn’t mean you can’t put them on display before you eat them! Many cooking pumpkins have fascinating colors that you’ll want to admire and show off.

Pie Pumpkins

• Cinderella is a popular variety with a flat shape, deep ribs, and vibrant red-orange skin. The semi-sweet, moist flesh is good for pies and plain eating.
• Mystic Pie looks like a small version of the Jack-O-Lantern. It can be carved for decorative purposes, but you’ll enjoy it most when baked into a delicious pie!
• Small Orange Pie is another small, classic-looking pumpkin that is ideal for baking into your favorite dessert.
• White Pie has a ghostly appearance that makes a great contrast to the orange and green pumpkins. Its soft, white flesh has a mild flavor and creamy texture.

Pumpkins for the Main Course

• Cheddar has deep, dry orange flesh that makes it a delicious pumpkin for cooking, while its dusty orange skin has a haunting appearance.
• Fairytale is a French heirloom variety with dark green skin and orange insides. It has sweet, creamy flesh that will melt in your mouth.
• Millionaire has yellow skin with orange and green stripes. This tasty variety has flesh with a texture like spaghetti squash.
• Speckled Hound has dusty green skin with spots of orange and a flat shape. Inside, it has yellow-orange flesh that is dry and rich like a buttercup squash.
• Tiger Stripe (Hulless Seeds) is grown for its tender seeds, which are ideal for roasting, but the round shape and smooth skin lends itself to carving as well.
• Warty Red could have easily been on the decorative list above. Its bumpy texture is at once haunting yet strangely beautiful. But the delicious, rich flavor is a sure reason to include it in your main course!

So what is the best pumpkin for decorating? It’s up to you! Whether you fancy an eccentric, wart-covered squash, or a smooth-skinned pumpkin gourd, you can use any variety for decoration. Some are easier to carve, while others are bred primarily for display. If you’re looking for pumpkins this year, visit our garden centers in Northwest Arkansas and browse our full selection!