STYRIAN OIL PUMPKIN

Nomination:
The pumpkin family “Cucurbita cucurbitaceae“ is composed of approx. 90 genera and a multitude of species. The botanic nomination of the pumpkin cultivated in Styria is “Cucurbita pepo var. styriaca“.

Growing areas / production:
Primarily the Styrian Oil Pumpkin has been cultivated in Styria, the Southern part of Burgenland, in some areas of Lower Austria as well as in some surrounding areas of Slovenia, Hungary as well as in Russia. The sandy-loamy grounds of these areas and the special warm and humid climate are perfect conditions for the 8 to 10 kg heavy pumpkins to grow. When, at the end of September until the beginning of October, the colour of the pumpkins changes from green to yellow -orange, it is time to harvest. Now the pumpkin seeds are extracted automatically or, in smaller companies, by hand. The seeds are washed with 100 % pure drinking water and dried by approx. 50 °C. Finally the pumpkin seeds are dried by 12°C at 60 % humidity.

g.g.A (PGI) areas in Austria:

Styria:

• Deutschlandsberg
• Feldbach
• Fürstenfeld
• Graz-Umgebung
• Hartberg
• Leibnitz
• Radkersburg
• Voitsberg
• Weiz

Lower Austria

• Hollabrunn
• Horn
• Melk
• Mistelbach
• Stockerau
• Zistersdorf

Burgenland:

• Güssing
• Jennersdorf
• Oberwart