White Pumpkin Varieties

Baby Boo

• Baby Boos are ornamental pumpkins that average 2 to 3 inches in diameter when fully grown. They turn light yellow when ripe, but if harvested early and kept away from the sun, they remain snowy white. They are often displayed alongside orange Jack be Littles, and share the same flat top, deep ribbing and squat shape. They are good for painting, but their size makes them difficult to carve. Although they are primarily used for decoration, they are edible if allowed to fully ripen for 30 days after harvest.

Casper

• Around Halloween, you may pass these snowy white pumpkins on the stoop and smell their sweet flesh baking in the oven once inside. At 8 to 10 inches and 10 pounds, their manageable size and weight makes them suitable for both painting and baking, although they are not as good for carving as some other varieties. They are one of the whitest pumpkins, but like most light varieties, they turn cream color with age. To keep them white, move them indoors or to a spot out of the direct sunlight.

Cotton Candy

• Like caspers, these are round, medium-sized pumpkins that grow up to 10 inches in diameter. Their long, sturdy stems, hard skin and traditional shape make them good for carving, but their flesh, while edible, is pale and tasteless. They are whiter and smoother than luminas, and good for painting.

Full Moon

• Full Moons are among the largest white pumpkins, averaging 25 to 50 pounds. With proper care, they can grow even larger, up to 90 pounds, for a showstopping fall display. They have a lightly ribbed, orange-tinted skin and round shape, but their flesh is bland and unsuitable for most baking purposes. As a result, they are used primarily for painting and carving.

Lumina

• Luminas come in flat and round varieties, which average 10 to 15 pounds. Unlike some other white pumpkins, they have bright orange flesh, which creates a two-tone effect when the pumpkin is carved. Their skin is usually smooth and suitable for painting, while the pumpkin's sweet flesh is valued by bakers.

Valenciano

• These pumpkins have flat tops and deeply ribbed sides. They are slightly smaller than luminas, averaging 8 to 10 pounds, and they have a very light-color flesh. Although it is stringier and more watery than other varieties, some people enjoy the unusual looking pie produced by its pale interior. Because of its squat shape and thick rind, it is difficult to carve and seldom used to make jack o' lanterns.