Love pumpkin season?
Then you should also pay attention to the correct storage, so that the pumpkin does not start to mold.
Pumpkin season in Germany starts in summer and at the latest in autumn.
Now it's off to the kitchen and conjure up delicious soups, cakes, oven-roasted vegetables, stuffed pumpkins, etc. with the orange-colored vegetables.
To do this, you first have to get good copies when you go shopping and then store them properly at home.
Because if you don't store it properly, there is a risk that a pumpkin will spoil quickly.
To prevent that from happening, here are top storage tips, when to use pumpkins right away, and if you can freeze them.
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Autumn time is pumpkin time.
With the right selection and storage, you can enjoy pumpkins for a long time.
© Astrid Gast/Imago
Storing the pumpkin: when you should rather use the autumn vegetables directly
It starts with the purchase: the perfect pumpkin should definitely be ripe, but not overripe.
You can tell by a hard shell and a woody stem.
However, the shell should not have any dark, soft spots.
Check the pumpkin of your choice again at home for bruises or damage to the skin.
If you find any, you should refrain from storing it for a long time and rather use it up promptly.
Likewise, you should not store cut pumpkins for long, but cover them with cling film and store them in the refrigerator, but for a maximum of two days.
Edible vs. ornamental gourds
Caution, risk of confusion!
Only squashes are suitable for eating, ornamental squashes are poisonous.
When shopping, be sure to look at the label or the product labeling.
Store pumpkin correctly: dark, cool and dry
Do not store pumpkins on top of each other, stacked or crowded.
Instead, lay them side by side on newspaper.
Pumpkins like it dry: avoid moisture, otherwise pumpkins quickly start to mold.
Also store pumpkins in a dark and cool place: 12 °C is ideal.
So the fridge is too cold.
A dry place in the cellar or in a cool room is therefore well suited.
A pumpkin can be kept for several months.
Forget the best-before date: this is how you can tell if a food item has spoiled
Forget the best-before date: this is how you can tell if a food item has spoiled
Freeze pumpkin: Here's how
The good news is that pumpkins can be frozen.
To do this, remove the skin if necessary - except for the Hokkaido, where the skin is edible - as well as the seeds and cores.
Cut the pumpkin into pieces.
You can freeze it in a storage jar or freezer bag.
The vegetables will keep for up to five months at -18 °C.
After thawing, you can prepare the pumpkin pieces in the oven or in the pan as usual.
Alternatively, you can make a puree from the pumpkin and freeze it.
List of rubrics: © Astrid Gast/Imago
