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Arcola, IL, USA

Can anyone tell me how to cure the stem after it has been cut from the vine. Last time I cut a pumpkin from the vine, the stem on the pumpkin sort of just rotted away. It never dried out like pumpkins people buy at the store. Is there a trick to this or is that just the way it goes?????

9/10/2006 10:42:31 PM

Ohio

Bleach and water will dry it out nice Growler, or stuff like 'Wilt Proff' sprayed on the stem and pumpkin keeps the pumpkin and stem looking fresh and helps keep water from evaporating(sp) from the pumpkin somewhat..

9/11/2006 5:14:16 AM

ENGLAND

Growler. If you are trying to cure a stem on an Atlantic Giant then you will not succeed as AG's are soft stem Pumpkins. The Pumpkins you see in the stores are more than likely of a hard stem variety therefor those will dry and cure. However, if you are trying to keep the stem on an AG as fresh as possible then Brooks' reply is the one you need to follow.

Regards
Mike

9/11/2006 6:02:15 AM

[email protected]

Mike is correct. C. Pepo is a hard stemmed pumpkin. C. Maxima is a soft stemmed squash. We call them pumpkins when they're orange for marketing purposes. But their still soft stemmed squash.

That little technicality aside; I'd like to see someone try to exhume the water from the cut stem & then force a latex based wood preservative into the vascular tubes to see if that would retard spoilage.

It might work.

9/11/2006 7:22:29 AM

Riverton, WY

I think the stem would be more resistant to rot if you cut the vine an inch before the stem and an inch after the stem leaving the stem intact. That leaves a sealed barrier between the hollow stem of the pumpkin and the outside air, unless of course there are stem splits involved.

9/11/2006 11:23:39 PM