The Perfect Pumpkin: Growing/Cooking/Carving [Paperback]

Gail Damerow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 8, 1997

Learn how to grow and harvest more than 95 varieties of pumpkins, and then use them in any number of ways--carve fabulous jack o'lanterns, make luxurious pumpkin soap and bath oil, and enjoy more than 30 delicious recipes, including Pumpkin Brioche, Pumpkin-Tomato Soup with Basil, Fried Pumpkin Blossoms, Double Ginger Pumpkin Pie with Bourbon, and even Pumpkin Beer! 

 

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...I believe this could be the best book ever published on pumpkins." -- Howard Dill, breeder of 'Dill's Atlantic Giant' pumpkins, Windsor, Nova Scotia

And you thought pumpkins were just for Halloween! Thanks to Damerow's detailed and delightful book on how to grow, cook, and carve those big orange spheres, the pumpkin can now be properly appreciated. Her writing style is chatty and informative, filled with entertaining anecdotes, quotations, and facts. The recipe section in itself is worth the price of admission. From pumpkin pancakes to pumpkin soup to pumpkin dinner rolls, and, of course, a variety of recipes for pumpkin pie, you can enjoy pumpkin at every meal. You'll also get some helpful hints for growing pumpkins and for amazingly artistic pumpkin crafts. -- From Independent Publisher

Review

"...I believe this could be the best book ever published on pumpkins."
—Howard Dill, breeder of 'Dill's Atlantic Giant' pumpkins, Windsor, Nova Scotia

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC; First Edition edition (January 8, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0882669931
• ISBN-13: 978-0882669939
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #229,488 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gail Damerow runs a small-scale farm raising chickens and other animals. She is the editor of Rural Heritage magazine, a monthly columnist for Dairy Goat Journal, and the author of seven Storey books on animals, with a combined 455,000 copies in print.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Everything you need to know about growing pumpkins, April 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Perfect Pumpkin: Growing/Cooking/Carving (Paperback)

This has to be the definitive book on growing and using pumpkins. The author covers everything from starting seeds, preparing the field, caring for the plants, troubleshooting and finally harvesting and enjoying the fruits of your labors. There is detailed information on pumpkin varieties and pumpkin pests. The final chapters have extensive recipes for pumpkin. The writing is clear and the scope is comprehensive. I highly recommend it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A sampler of all things pumpkin, January 24, 2005

By 

Azurestrangelove "Life in the So-Called Space... (Upstate NY, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Perfect Pumpkin: Growing/Cooking/Carving (Paperback)

This book was a wonderful addition to my book collection because I had been looking for a good pumpkin book for a while. There are tons of them here on amazon but the vast majority of them are mainly for very young children and aren't very informative for an adult who would like to aquire some practical knowledge on our favorite Winter Squash.
The Perfect pumpkin is really the perfect sampler of all types of pumpkin information, such as the history of pumpkins, how to grow them, how to carve them, how to cook with them( an entire recipe section! ) and even crafty things such as how to make your very own pumpkin hand soap. This is a very pleasant and interesting book that should satisfy both children and adults. My only gripe about the book is that the growing section wasn't as informative and comprehensive as I was hoping it would be. There is more than enough information for the first time grower, but for anyone who is a novice grower or professional grower should probably also buy "How to grow world class giant pumpkins" as a companion to this book. But for the first time pumpkin grower also looking for some fun facts and information about pumpkins in general, this is ideal.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The All-American Pumpkin Guide+, November 2, 2008

By 

Magickal Merlin "Wizard" (Death Valley-SoCal) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Perfect Pumpkin: Growing/Cooking/Carving (Paperback)

How to start your pumpkin patch,from scratch? I'm surprised this excellent gourd resource book is not more talked about.Everything about pumpkins is discussed here.How to grow and how to harvest.All the varities charted and labeled.Trouble-shooting in the pumpkin garden and squashing pesky pests,(pun intended).How to carve and craft the ideal jack-o'-lantern for Hallowe'en.Also how to make creams,soaps,and other decorations.Good tips on storing,freezing,canning and drying.Final chapter has a seemingly cornucopia supply of tasty pumpking recipes.Competitive pumpkin growing is a serious big business thesedays.There is also good advise on developing and cultivating the 'Great Pumpkin'.The colossal cucurbit and the 'calabaza grande' alike. This is perhaps the most versatile pumpkin book ,you'll ever have to read on the subject.