If left to its own devices this Brassica rapa plant would grow to 25cm and form a barrel-shaped head with a dense heart and weigh up to two kilograms.

However my preference is to cut-and-come-again with the crisp crimson leaves. A first taste suggests a cabbage tang with good texture. A few leaves atop a soup or in a salad would add glamour as well as antioxidants. A kitchen garden friend from Braidwood picked a leaf and thought it had an aniseed taste while a Canberra horticulturist said it was like eating citrusy red-veined sorrel (Rumex sanguinous) which she grows, though the cabbage is not as bitter.

Oasis Horticulture advises that among stockists in Canberra are all Bunnings stores, The Garden at Dickson and Rodney's at Pialligo where I bought my plant.

Responses from readers to name Tony Bray's new hybrid pumpkin were inventive. There were 49 suggestions. Five topped the list and they will all be sent seeds of the new pumpkin. Autumn will provide interest in growth due to microclimates and differing soils from Belconnen to Tuggeranong.

Barbara Petersen of Dunlop, a rock/metal concert-goer, said "I am a big fan of pumpkins ... and would call that new breed Iron Butterfly - showing my age with an old band name. I used to have a self-seeded Ironbark pumpkin grow from an old compost heap when I lived in Downer. I had to use a tomahawk to cut them ... they were prolific and the pumpkins kept very well."

Beth Roberts' suggestions of "Golden Cleaver" or "Golden Hammer" were, therefore, indicative of the skin of the new hybrid, similarly, Elly McGinness of Wanniassa suggested Hardbutter Bark and one person said Ironbutt which Tony says he is not taking personally.

Terry Murphy chose an aggregate of the Buttercup and Ironbark crossed by Tony and his surname Bray to get "Bironbray" which tickled my boots. He said the communication had to be regarded as "Commercial in Confidence" in case of a negotiated royalty and "this could be the start of something huge". One suspects there may be an element of Irish humour involved.

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In fact Tony has chosen an outlier, the Banjo for the poem by Banjo Paterson The Man from Ironbark. By coincidence, Tony's grandfather worked with Banjo Paterson at the literary journal The Bulletin where Paterson's poems were published from 1885. He is planning to register the name but is, as yet, unsure about permission.

Meanwhile, if you have a cut piece of pumpkin and want to prevent it going mouldy, Tony's hint is to sprinkle the flesh with cinnamon powder. I like adding cinnamon to pumpkin soup with freshly grated nutmeg, sliced apple and a teaspoonful of caraway seeds (which are said to aid digestion and have other health benefits).

To follow the soup, a warm fruit dessert is appealing. In 1971 Cordon Bleu brought out a small book called Memorable Meals. The recipes include Pears Charcot in which four ripe dessert pears are peeled, cut in half, cores scooped out, then poached in hot syrup. Later, the pear halves are removed and two tablespoons of apricot jam and quince jam are added to the syrup and slowly brought to the boil for three minutes. It is served with a vanilla cream made with custard.

On the back page of the book I wrote out a recipe which I made last week combining it with the Pears Charcot. I used half quantities (three pears). There was an open bottle of pinot in the house so I included that (instead of the jams in the Charcot recipe) .

Ingredients

6 firm, but ripe, evenly sized fresh pears (I used beurre bosc)

1 cup water

115g sugar

juice of half a lemon

1 cup red wine

12 long strips each of lemon and orange peel,

(finely cut without any white pith removed)

stick of cinnamon

Method

Boil water and sugar together to make a syrup. Peel pears, leaving stalk on, then place in syrup to which lemon juice has been added (to prevent pears turning brown). Add cinnamon and peel to syrup, cover the pot and poach slowly until almost cooked. Mine took about 15 minutes. Add wine and continue poaching until pears are cooked but still firmish. Remove to serving dish and further reduce syrup. Place peel around pear necks and dribble syrup over. Cool overnight (not in fridge).

(I did not wait overnight!) Serve with thick cream (I used plain Greek yoghurt) and grated nutmeg.