The pumpkin patch has been keeping us entertained. The older fruits have lost their youthful smoothness and are now sporting interesting ridges and textures. They are also exhibiting some distinct shapes…

The rounded pumpkin.

The oval pumpkin (sort of).

The “flat” pumpkin.

The flatter pumpkin.

I still can’t tell whether the shapes are random or if one or the other is unique to this pumpkin. Heck, I don’t even have a specific name for this variety!

Anyway, one of the most recent fruits aborted after a week, but a new one has started growing near the mulberry plant – and it’s still on the same, original vine! Again, I shake my head at myself for worrying that there would not be enough flowers for fruit pollination. This plant has branched out so much that it’s amazing. It currently has seven fruits growing on it!

I wonder how much longer we’ll have to wait before we can harvest the fruits. Some people say to watch the tendril near the fruit – that the fruit is ready when the tendril dries out. Other people talk about rapping the fruit and listening for the right sound. The method I prefer most is to wait until the skin of the fruit is so tough that it will not be pierced when you press your fingernail against it. Well, I don’t want to break the skin and give insects a way into the fruit just yet. At the moment, the skin still feels soft and a little spongy. When it hardens a little, I’ll test the “fingernail” method. I wonder how much longer it will be…

The biggest pumpkin at the moment – one of the “flatties” – close to 20cm wide!

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