The sugar pumpkin, also called the pie pumpkin or the sugar pie pumpkin, is one of the best for baking. Its sweet flesh is the perfect texture for a creamy soup or pie. After nurturing a vine all summer long, you may have several pumpkins nestled in the leaves. Determining whether or not these pumpkins are ripe is easy if you know what to look for.
Step 1
Count the days. If you planted seeds from a commercial seed packet, the days until maturity should be listed on the back. Pumpkins usually mature in about 90 to 100 days depending on their size; so if you know when they started growing, you'll have an idea of when they're mature.
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Step 2
Check the color. Sugar pumpkins are ripe when they are solid orange. If all green has faded into orange, you probably have a ripe pumpkin on your hands.
Step 3
Knock on it. Ripe pumpkins will have a hard rind with no soft spots. Give it a few good knocks. If it's hard, it's probably ripe.
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