Rouge Vif d'Etampes Photo: Galeuse d'Eysines, David MacTavish, Hutchinson Farm, Burlington, ON, September 19 2010

Grown at Hutchinson Farm since 2010, available mid-September - October.

Genus: Cucurbita maxima
Height: 5 - 8"
Width: 10 - 16"
Weight: 10 - 35 lbs
Colour: Bright red
Texture: Smooth surface with moderate sutures
Flesh: Orange

This red pumpkin was recently renamed by many seed companies as "Cinderella" because it resembles the pumpkin that was turned into a fairytale coach. It actually is an old heirloom pumpkin from France. “Rouge Vif d'Etampes” means “Etampes Bright Red” (Etampes is a town near Paris). Possibly the pumpkin cultivated by the Pilgrims and served at the second Thanksgiving dinner. It first appeared in Burpees seed catalog of 1883. Great for carving and stacking!

Culinary: Rouge Vif d'Etampes has a reputation as being the very best tasting pumpkin you'll ever find (but in our taste tests Jarrahdale or Galeause d'Eysines come out ahead).