Author(s): Janet Macdonald

Gardening

Everyone knows and loves the traditional pumpkin 'plump and golden carved into a Halloween lantern'; and perhaps you've prepared a pumpkin pie or a thick pumpkin soup but in the last few years other more interesting and varied varieties such as patty pans, kabocha, butternut, acorn and spaghetti squashes have become available from famer's markets and allotment gardeners. For all those cooks who have wondered what to do with these glorious new vegetables, or those who simply want some inspirational ideas for the good old pumpkin or what to do with that glut of courgettes; here are the recipes. From Pumpkin and White Bean Soup to Minted Courgette Soup, from Squash Couscous to Courgette Bread, from Spicy Pumpkin, Rum and Raisin Ice Cream to Pumpkin wine, there are over 100 easy-to-prepare dishes such as stews, pasta sauces, pickles, relishes, cakes, breads, quiches, biscuits and jams, to take you through the entire year. For those enthusiasts who like to grow their own produce there are cultivation instructions and seed sources as well as advice on picking, storing and a guide to varieties.