Our pumpkins
Our pumpkins are bright orange, have firm flesh, are nutty-sweet and highly aromatic – a true happiness!
Joachim Heinen, one of our growers for pumpkins:
“Happiness for me means picking my first plump pumpkins and being able to harvest early through my daughter Bianca’s trial work. The appreciation and trust of the customers pleases me very much. Along the way, seeing my son Oliver successfully continue the arable farm makes me proud and happy.”
The Rosenhof of family Heinen is located in Buschhoven, in Swisttal in the Rhineland and exists already in the third generation. Rhubarb, currants and pumpkins are grown here. The focus is on the pumpkins such as Hokkaido, Muscat and Butternut.
Cultivation methods
Pumpkins are mostly grown in the open ground. Since they need darkness and high temperatures for germination, the seeds are grown in the tunnel and then planted in the open ground. They can be covered with a fleece for earliness and ripen faster due to the higher temperatures, which can extend the season.
Cultivation
Pumpkins are fertilized by bees and insects. Separate water supply is not carried out for pumpkins. The pumpkin is an annual crop whose season lasts from mid-August to December. Due to optimal storage conditions, they can be kept until January.
Picking
The harvest of pumpkins is done by hand. The stalk is separated from the plant with a knife and then transported in large boxes to the farm, where they are washed, weighed and packed
Diversity
Edible pumpkins: Hokkaido, spaghetti, nutmeg, bishop’s cap, microwave, butternut ornamental pumpkins: Halloween
Maturity levels
Due to the uneven ripening of the pumpkins, it is necessary to empty the fields by means of several harvesting operations.
Our varieties
Hokkaido | Nutmeg | Butternut | Spaghetti | Microwave squash
Pumpkins from the house Frutania
From August to December, Frutania Hokkaido pumpkins and other fine varieties such as nutmeg, butternut, spaghetti and the small microwave pumpkin are available.
Consumer tips
Purchasing
If tapping the skin of the pumpkin gently with a clenched fist produces a hollow sound, the pumpkin is ripe. In addition, a mature pumpkin can be identified by the slightly dried or woody stem base.
Storage
A whole pumpkin can be stored for up to 6 months in a dark, dry and cool place at 10 to 13 degrees. In a humid environment there is a risk of rotting. A pumpkin that has already been cut can be stored in the refrigerator, covered with oilcloth, for up to a week. Blanched or frozen, individual pieces can be used for about 4 months afterwards.
A good way to preserve pumpkin is canning. In a sweet and sour decoction of vinegar, sugar and spices, pumpkin keeps for several months and also acquires a wonderful aroma.
Preparation
Today, pumpkin is part of the seasonal cuisine every fall with soups, stews and purees, not least because of the European Halloween hype. But it also tastes wonderful pickled sweet and sour, as chutney, casserole, lasagna, pizza, pumpkin bread or cake. There are virtually no limits to the creative preparation of pumpkin.
The pumpkin
Small encyclopedia
Pumpkins are among the largest berries in the world. Thus, the genus cucurbits belongs to the same plant family as melons or cucumbers. Pumpkins come in a variety of colors and patterns, ranging from orange to yellow to green and even black. Also, the shape of the pumpkin is not always round or oval. The pumpkin can reach the size of a coin or even the size of a tractor tire – the largest pumpkin so far weighed 1190.5 kilograms. Soups made from pumpkin are the classic – but the vegetable does much more. For example, it also tastes good fried, steamed, solo or combined with other vegetables.
