Smashing Pumpkins

 

Our baby pumpkins ripening in the sunshine (about two weeks ago)

It’s been absolutely pissing it down in Seattle today, so it was a pleasure to flick through my summer photos and find some that I had been meaning to share back then, but never got round to.

 

 

This summer we finally had some fabulous raised beds built next to the sidewalk/pavement in front of our house so we could grow our own vegetables.

 

 

In the US homeowners are responsible for the street area in front of their homes (in the UK this is the responsibility of the local council) which has led to a great trend of street-level vegetable gardens, especially in my neighbourhood where the front gardens are often steeply sloping.

Our garden met with mixed success, mostly because it wasn’t built until the end of June, so we sowed our seeds really late, though we did manage great crops of French and borlotti beans, quite a lot of salad and herbs and a few sprigs of broccoli.

The Minx enjoyed helping out and the cats thought we’d built an extra specially huge giganto litter box, so the they were a great hit with the whole family.

 

Harriet models her 'cat bib’ (www.catgoods.com) which is meant to stop her catching birds. And it works!

 

The Minx was desperate to grow pumpkins, so we dedicated half of one bed to her ‘pumpkin patch’. Again the late planting and cold summer was not a recipe for success but we ended up with two small pumpkins (another one was stolen out of the garden on Halloween, would you believe?) which we have been desperately trying to ripen in time to make pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.

 

Tiny French beans basking in the sunshine

Harvesting French beans, bolted salad leaves and broccoli

So the pumpkins have finally ripened and I’ve signed up to make pumpkin pie with them for Thanksgiving, which is a bit scary as I’ve never made pumpkin pie before (or even eaten them much). Hit me with your best recipes, secrets and tips for a great pumpkin pie. PLEASE.

Comments

[K]

You are going to scoff at me and be scornful, you ARE, but I swear and promise that we all just use the Libby's canned pumpkin and follow their recipe (the one on the can). And it is good. As you are using your own pumpkins,I'd say cut them in half, scrape out the guts, put the halves face down in a baking dish with a little water and roast until soft, scoop out the flesh, mash it up, and then follow the Libby's recipe.http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/18470/LIBBYS-Famous-Pumpkin-Pie/detail.aspx
And I'm very sorry to hear about the Halloween theft. For shame, thief. For shame.

[Glenda Homes]

You had great harvest for such little time! Your pumpkins looks good but there is no wonder when you have such cute helpers :)

[Cally]

WOW WOW WOW!!!
Your raised beds are fabulous. Very impressed. I couldn't have something in public here because it would be trashed by local kids and pooped on by the multitudes of cats who've already figured out that I have the most friable soil in the area.

Also congrats on the diet, love your before and after pics.