pumpkins

[plotstoeat]

I have a few large green pumpkins still growing. Are they okay to eat before they turn orange? Is it best to pick them green or to leave them to ripen on the plant?

[plotstoeat]

[Fork]

They are not ripe until they turn orange....best to leave to ripen on the plant in my experience.

I would not try to eat them green

[Ophi]

if you want to store them for the winter then they need to ripen on the plant.  If you fancy trying one now I think you would cook it in the same way you would a summer squash.

[antipodes]

Be aware that some pumpkins are green! It depends on the variety. I have found that the really orange ones have already turned a pale yellow shade once they start to grow. If they are big and green, I would say they will stay green! They tell you themselves when to pick them - when their stem is hard and dry and it will just detach from the vine with a small movement. I just picked one Turk's Turban, but they are precocious and that was the first fruit. Most of my pumpkins are not ready yet and won't be for another few weeks.

[plotstoeat]

Thanks for the advice folks. Okay I'll leave them to ripen but I'll need a wheelbarrow to get the big ones to my car!
Antipodes : I grew them from some seed I saved two years ago and they were orange ones called Halloween, so, unless they have cross pollinated with nearby cougettes they should be orange.