Montreal is blessed with several great outdoor markets. My local one is the Atwater Market, smaller than some, larger than others. It sells meats, fish, cheeses, breads, fruits, vegetables and almost every sort of food you can put a name to. At this time of year, though, the Atwater Market is brimming over with pumpkins.
Traditional pumpkins piled high, at the Atwater Market.
It seems to me that pumpkins used to come only one way: big, round, and orange. No more. The variety of shape, colour and size now is a treat — for the eyes if not the stomach. Take a look at these I photographed yesterday. There are striped ones …
Ok, technically these may not be pumpkins but who cares? They are all pumpkins to me.
and warty ones…
Warty pumpkins are currently my favourite.
red ones.
The colour may be right but those red things are not tomatoes.
and grey ones.
This is a weird colour for a pumpkin. I am confident that it won’t be decorating my doorstep.
There are sad ones …
You’d be sad too if you were plastic and upside down.
and hopeful ones.
Hockey fans will recognize the logo of the Canadiens, the Montreal team. Go Habs Go!
All celebrate a season worth cheering for.
How much do chrysanthemums cost where you live?
Do Canadians distinguish between pumpkins and squash? I would say a pumpkin is a type of squash, round, and typically orange. Some pumpkins are grown to be ornaments, and others are meant to be eaten. That big grey thing I would call a squash, but not a pumpkin. The warty ones I would call gourds, which are squash that are dried and used ornamentally. The red ones do look like pumpkins, but I have never seen them in that color before. I hope they’re not painted.
Some Canadians do, Kathy — usually that includes me. I agree with the names you’ve given, simply was too tired when I posted to be bothered typing more than a single word. Pumpkins all around!
Just bought the standard orange one yesterday and now with my Henckle in hand pondering my next move!
Will you post a photo of the finished product, Robert?
What a treat! (Or is it a trick?) I adore autumn and all the signs of the season. Hope winter doesn’t muscle its way in too soon, though. It is only 38 F here this morning.
It was cold here today, with a skim of ice on the reflecting pool of The Aqueduct. NOT what I wanted to see.
I’ve never seen the red variety before. I think I have all the other ones you’ve shown, including, yes, a gray one on my doorstep! I love it against the terracotta tiles and turquoise door. It’s ghostly — perfect for Halloween. 🙂 Pam/Digging: http://www.penick.net/digging
I like the idea of the gray one against terracotta tiles — and the turquoise door has to be the finishing touch. I hadn’t seen the red ones either but they were real, not painted.
Next time a bigger pumpkin or a smaller knife!!!!! Yes, and where is your entry?
Those big blue/gray ones are hubbard squash and delicious. (Although I usually by a smaller cultivar that goes by a different name.) When I was a child, I was always frustrated that our friends had Halloween jack-o-lanterns made from giant pumpkins, while ours were always very small. Only as an adult, did I understand this was because ours were made from New England pie pumpkins and turned into pumpkin pie the day after Halloween. Time for me to get out and buy my annual supply of those small New England pie pumpkins!
Thank you for that information, Jean. I’m not a big fan of squash by any name and never knew that was what a Hubbard looked like. Nor that New England pumpkin pies are made from small pumpkins. Happy cooking (and eating)!
Today is Halloween so I enjoyed this post. Reminds me of the wonderful Jean Talon Market in Montreal. Judy has bought two pumpkins for the holiday: an orange one sitting on the front steps and a big grey one with orange stripes that we are keeping inside. The squirrels have already taken a big bite out of the one on the steps!
Hope the squirrels didn’t ruin the pumpkins before Hallowe’en night.
Hope the squirrels left the pumpkins alone until after Halloween.