Pumpkins are in season in Malawi now (though most of them are coming from Mozambique due to drought and floods in Malawi - a strange year where the Southern part of the country has experienced floods and the Central and Northern parts with dry spell). However, their shelf life is relatively short. Farmers would like to know how to prolong pumpkin shelf life and if there any low cost technologies to process them. Currently, there are no farmers who process pumpkins. The leaves are blanched in hot water and preserved in weaved baskets.