It’s wet and cold at the moment and so it’s perfect weather for a hot mug of soup for dinner to warm you up from the inside. One of our favourites is butternut pumpkin soup. Butternut pumpkin is one of the winter squash and is an easy plant to grow at home.
All you need for your pumpkin patch is composted and well drained soil in full sun with plenty of space in which to grow your vines. Pumpkin vines don’t need a great deal of attention which makes them an excellent choice for a beginner vegetable gardener! The easiest way to grow them is as a ground cover plant so leave plenty of room in your garden. Pumpkins have a shallow root system so in dry weather they will need careful watering (daily if particularly dry), but in wet they can go without. Including a layer of mulch in your garden is a great way to retain the moisture.
It normally takes 3-4 months for the plants to mature and you can tell if they are ready if they make a hollow sound when tapped. When you harvest them it is best to leave quite a long stem attached to make the pumpkin last longer and prevent rot. Ripe fruits can last for quite a long time if kept in a cool and dry storage area. Once harvested you are ready to make all kinds of delightful winter dishes!
Are you looking to develop your vegetable garden further or need some help with weeding and mulching? Have a look at our local Gardeners for all the help you need.
Pumpkin soup with Maple Candied Bacon
Ingredients
3kg butternut pumpkin
300g bacon
2 litres chicken stock
3 teaspoons Moroccan seasoning, plus extra for sprinkling
1 teaspoon smoky paprika
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
4 teaspoons maple syrup
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Cut each pumpkin in half lengthways.
Place pumpkins cut side up on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Moroccan seasoning to taste. Bake in the oven for one hour, or until soft. Remove pumpkin from the oven and leave to cool. Once the pumpkin is cool, scoop it out of the skin and set aside.
Chop the bacon into small cubes and divide into two portions. Set one portion of bacon aside and fry the other with some olive oil in a large soup pot. Sauté until cooked then add pumpkin, chill flakes, Moroccan seasoning and smoky paprika. Stir to combine and allow spices to become aromatic, then add chicken stock. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to simmer for a few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, then remove from the heat and blend with a stick blender.
Fry remaining bacon in a pan with maple syrup, on medium heat. Cook until bacon is crispy, dark red and sticky. Divide soup into bowls and top with fried bacon. Enjoy!
