If you love the colors and selections of pumpkins that are avaiable today, then wait no longer! Most restaurants will be serving pumpkin soup around this time of year but see bottom of page for Lisa's recipe. And make sure to check out the events around these seasonal beauty as various festivals in the region.
FESTIVALS
Courges en Folie
www.charmey.ch/en/events/pumpkin-madness
12-27 October 2024
Vounetz/Charmey, Fribourg
A festival with everything you need to enjoy the autumn.
Fête de la courge for kids
www.cpo-ouchy.ch/activites/fete-de-la-courge
Saturday, 26 October 2024
Lausanne, VD
Pumpkin carving workshop, story-telling, face-painting, afternoon disco.
BUYING PUMPKINS
1001 Courges
Familles Jean-Mairet-Favre
Rte de Chavornay 1
1372 Bavois, VD
024 441 41 74
079 241 19 68
www.facebook.com/p/1001courges
Pumpkin tasting and meal and all things pumpkin as well as huge sale. They are having a festival with tasting and food the weekend of 6-7 October, 2012.
Schilliger
Rte Suisse 40
1196 Gland, VD
022 354 44 44
www.schilliger.com
20,000m2 garden center and boutique, see photo above for their extensive selection of pumpkins. Weekdays 9h-18h30, Saturday 8h-18h. Check-out the pumpkin-carving workshop on October 27, 2012.
La Grange aux Courges
Famille Claude et Carine Jaquier
Rte d'Eclagnens 7
1376 Goumoens-la-Ville, VD
https://lagrangeauxcourges.ch
Open from September through mid-December from 8h30-19h in self-service choice and honor box payment system.
Self Service pumpkins
On the road to Chavannes Centre near Commugny. Pick the one you want and put the money in the honor box.
Supermarkets as well as weekly outdoor farmer's markets
A great selection of pumpkins for carving or for cooking. Try to get the green skinned pumpkin (a chunk not the whole thing) and using a mandolin cutter, slice as thin as you can and serve raw on salad. It is really delicious!
HALLOWEEN
Thursday, 31 October 2024. This ancient celebration has now become very popular in Switzerland. In October, you’ll find everything from costumes (page 404 of the current Know-it-all passport® 11th edition) to candy and decorations on sale. Most kids will only ring the bell of houses or appartments that have some kind of Halloween decoration.
RECIPES
Video recipe link above for a simple and quick pumpkin soup without roasting
Lisa's recipe for the BEST roasted pumpkin soup below:
- Any combination of pumpkin, butternut squash, sweet potato, etc.
- Cut into even size pieces and coat with olive oil and salt.
- Roast in hot oven 200°C for about 1 hour.
- Heat a little olive oil, onions, garlic, celery leaves (if you have some) on your stovetop in a deep pan with lid.
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Take cooked pumpkin pieces and add to pan.
- Cover with boiling water.
- Add as much whole chorizo sausage (peel skin first) as you like and let cook for about 20 minutes.
- Remove sausage.
- Add some cream to soup.
- Purée soup.
- Chop chorizo into bite size pieces and return to soup.
- Serve and enjoy with a thick piece of toasted crusty bread and a dollop of cream.
