A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 Pumpkin update or down date if you prefer.

We ended up pulling the dead pumpkin plants this week. There will be no pumpkin to freeze or dry the seeds of. That's ok, but will have to try again next year. This is the first time in my life I can't get anything to grow. My butterfly bush is flowering, but it is still only 9 inches tall, and of the three plants I put in, only one survived. Must have been all that rain! Shame I don't have a big room inside my house, I can tear the roof out of, put in glass roof, and make into big greenhouse...teeheee...

Miki

I have pumpkins coming out of my ears! How can I freeze/can pumpkin? And I want to roast the seeds for my cockatoo. Any one have any good and EASY recipes for saving pumpkin and roasting the seeds???

Parrots were the main reason I planted pumpkins. I have a food dehydrator, and I planned to dry as many seeds as possible. You can also slow dry them in the oven at a oven temp of 200 for 3-4 hours. I have not been successful in doing this as they still burn on the outside, and are still moist inside. The dehydrators only cost about $30 and are worth the investment if you own parrots or a parrot. As far as canning pumpkin, I don't can mine, I freeze it. I cut it in cubes, boil it like I would squash and freeze it making sure all the air is out of the bags. I use freezer bags and double bag it all. I bag it in a small ziplock bag, about as much as the parrots will eat or what I need for a recipie, in the small bag, then place that bag inside a larger bag. I can get 3-5 small bags inside the larger bag. Then I just take out what I need. (I am owned by 5 Parrots who love pumkin, squash and pumpkin seed)

Miki

Tried to post to you yesterday, but the site was not working properly, so here I go again.

My quakers like any sort of seed treat, Booger and Buddy love pumpkin seeds. Boo doesn't eat them at all, nor will Ricky or Lucy. I can't get Ricky and Lucy to eat anything except corn, and apple or pear. Pizza crust is another favorite in our house amoung parrots, but then there's Ricky and Lucy who won't touch it.

They are all doing very well. Buddy has been a little withdrawn, but he has his moments. Buddy is upset because I won't let him feed the squirrels peanuts any more. I think Buddy's plucking problem is directly related to peanuts. Buddy loved to ride on my shoulder out on the porch and throw peanuts to the 20 some squirrels that will line up and come on the porch in single file fashion to get peanuts. He would drop the peanut and say "Whatzzzzz up?" in a soft whisper like voice.

How's your lola? Spoiled I am sure, as mine are as well.

Miki

In a way this is funny, because a few years back I planted Cucumbers, Pumpkins and zuccinii (spelling). Everything went nuts. I planted pumpkins on a whim that year and just tossed seeds into holes I dug around my bird feeders, I have 5 of them up this year but had about 8 up few years back. The pumpkin plants grew to gigantic sizes and the vines were over the mountain. We had to pull the pumpkins early so they wouldn't get to big and roll down the mountain into my brother in laws house. This year when I finally pulled them, we had stalks with no leaves, no nothing and a dried up dead stalk to boot. All this rain, dry is the last thing I would have expected.

Miki

Newbie has yet another pumpkin question. My pumpkins are pretty much all turned orange and the leaves on the vines are all dying. However, there is still a vine that shot off to the side and seems to be doing good. Anyways I was hoping to have pumpkins for Halloween. Is it ok to let them stay on the vine that seems to be dying, or should I pick them?