We planted several acres of Styrian pumpkins this summer, seeking to learn more about the historical uses of plants as medicine for people. This plant ally is traditionally grown in the Styrian region of Austria and produces oil called “the green gold of Styria”; it is a rich, dark green color due to the high levels of chlorophyll, anti-oxidative substances and unsaturated fatty acids. The oil also contains many important minerals including magnesium, silica, and calcium as well as essential vitamins. This medicinal plant helps support cardiovascular health, aid in urinary well being and has been known to help prevent prostate cancer in men.

Pumpkins have been a long time favorite in the fields of Vermont farmers, but the Styrian variety is a newly explored area. The seeds are a hulless variety, as the plants put more energy into the oil than a hull, and this makes them more susceptible to environmental effects such as wet, cold soil during planting time, and thus more challenging to grow.

As Mother Nature and her disciples (wild turkeys, crows, cutworms) took their course on the seeds, decreasing germination by more than 50%, we tried tricking them with flashy ‘scary” tape. This was productive, and while we had to abandon almost an acre of pumpkins on a wild turkey highway, our bird challenges disappeared, only to be replaced by other obstacles.

While the seedlings poked up through the soil, the stripped cucumber beetles were not far behind. Thankfully their appearance gave us the opportunity to connect with extension specialists and other growers around Vermont including Eric Rozendaal of Starksboro who are also visited by this Cucurbit pest. Within a few weeks, the plants had outgrown their susceptible stage and started to set flowers.

After many weeks of nurturing these incredible plants, it was an amazing site to see them in bloom. When they set in fruit, I felt like a mother walking out into the field and letting her children take their course. At my last visit, hand over my mouth in awe, I admired the growth they had undergone and felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and admiration. It is inspirational to look upon anything in life, whether it be a pumpkin plant, a family member or wild animal and watch it beat the odds. Admire it while you give guidance and support, let it go and watch it flourish.

This land has to be one of the most amazingly beautiful sites in the world ….. I know it was for me that early morning in the pumpkin patch, dew glistening from the misty morning sun, truly being a thread in the web of life and feeling its grace.

Abigail Burns

We are grateful for Sam Burr, Eugenie Doyle, and family of Last Resort Farm, Monkton, Vermont for providing their certified organic land for these pumpkins and our bee yard nearby. These pumpkins and seeds were certified organic by the Northeast Organic Farming Association/NOFA Vermont in August 2004.