Fresh pumpkins?

[Rosyrain]

Last weekend we went and got our carving pumpkins and I had a very unpleasant surprise when I opened the lid on one of them; it was all rotten on the inside when the outside looked really healthy. Has anyone had this happen to them before? How can you tell if a pumpkin is good on the inside? Thank goodness we were able to contain it into a garbage bag very fast so that it did not end up making a stinky mess in the dining room!

 

[Gliss]

Hi Rosyrain, I don't know a lot about pumpkins from a planting/growing perspective. I do know a bit about buying them and other squash... Check for weight, if it's overly heavy or you can hear or feel liquid moving within it, it's rotting. Also you can smell near the stem and the bottom of the pumpkin, if there is a foul odor it's a sign there is nothing good on the inside of it. I'm glad you got it outside before there was a big mess!

 

[Trellum]

I second what Gliss said, whenever we buy pumpkins we always check the weight and if some liquid can be heard or felt when moving the pumpkin around.

 

[headfullofbees]

If you give tit a tap and your hand goes through, throw away.

 

[Pat]

Very good information on how to tell if a pumpkin is good. I did know you could smell the stem to tell if the plant had started to turn bad. Next time I get a pumpkin I will use these methods to check the pumpkin.

 

[js85]

I didn't know about smelling the stem, but that makes sense. Good idea, thanks!