Pumpkins
In the England of my childhood, Halloween was a non-event. October 31st meant nothing to us, all our thoughts were centred on a week later: November 5 th , Bonfire Night. Scrap wood would be collected, an effigy made which would be taken around the streets with the cry of “penny for the Guy?”. Toffee apples would be made, potatoes baked and children would gaze in wonder as Catherine Wheels spun on fences and rockets reached for the sky. Timber spat and crackled as flames licked its surfaces. But things have changed, the American influence on our culture and the marketing men realising plastic skeletons and plastic pumpkins could be a money spinner, means Halloween is now everywhere. One of the biggest changes has been the acres of pumpkins that fill the fields in autumn. (Crown Prince squash) Pumpkins grow reasonably well in this country, provided they have two things: warmth and water. We sow the seeds in March, and they germinate on the heated ...
