Pumpkins – More than Decor…. A Food for All
The technical name for the pumpkin is Cucurbita, which is actually a number of different squashes, and a genus in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae.
Garden Surprise
I find pumpkins and squash (Cucurbits) to be so much fun to grow. If the plants can survive attacks by annoying cucumber beetles and squash bugs they are pretty self-sufficient, not requiring much weeding since the large, sprawling leaves shade out the weeds. Those leaves also hide what is growing on the plants so it’s always a surprise in late summer to take a careful walk through the pumpkin patch and see the variety of shapes, colors, and sizes of pumpkins and squash that are growing. Each year I plant seeds that I’ve saved from years past, and because cucurbits easily cross-pollinate, you never know what those saved seeds will produce. Sometimes the new fruit is like the parent, but many times they turn out to be a combination of things.
Good Eating
Other than the small decorative gourds everything I plant is edible, so if it has a nice, thick, richly colored, orange flesh it is good to use in any recipe calling for “pumpkin. My favorite baking varieties are butternut and buttercup squash, and the blue-gray Blue Doll and Jaradahl pumpkins which have an incredibly thick shell giving you lots of pumpkin. These all have a dark orange flesh that is smooth in texture. The blue pumpkins also have a very long shelf life, lasting even until the following spring if stored in a cool environment.
For the first time this past year I grew Delicata squash and was amazed at how sweet they are. You really can eat them without adding sugar. They are small and ribbed, similar to an acorn squash making a perfect serving for two. When preparing this variety, or any squash that has lobes, it is easiest to cut it in half and bake on a cookie sheet in the oven until the flesh is soft enough to scrape out and mash. The other method I use, especially with Butternut squash is to cut them into inch thick slices, cut off the skin, cube it and boil until soft. I then drain off the water, add butter and brown sugar, and mash until smooth. Next, I put it in a bowl, sprinkle mini marshmallows on top and put it under the broiler. Half the time I get distracted, the marshmallows start burning, and the smell of smoke brings my attention back to the oven. (This is almost a Thanksgiving tradition in my family). It still tastes so good!
As mentioned before any squash or baking pumpkin can be used in recipes calling for pumpkin. It freezes well, so go ahead and buy that big squash or pie pumpkin at the farmers market in the fall, use it for decoration, and then cook and freeze what you can’t use right then. Use it to make pumpkin pie, bars, cakes, breads, or whatever pumpkin recipe you come across.
Pumpkin Overload
I always grow many more squash and pumpkins than what I can sell at market and use in the kitchen, so it is great that my two ponies absolutely love eating them. It’s a daily treat for them. If I don’t have a big chunk waiting when they get moved outside in the morning and put back in at night they’ll dig through the hay looking for some, or stand at the fence looking at me.
I don’t have a cellar to store a pile of pumpkins where they won’t freeze during the winter so I have to leave many in the barn where they eventually freeze. This works fine, though, because they are good to use until they thaw out and turn to mush in the spring. Fortunately the ponies don’t mind eating pumpkin popsicles, and they aren’t the only animals who love them. My dog always wants a chunk for herself, and even the cats like it. They’ll jump up on the counter in the barn where I cut the pumpkins open and eat the seeds and soft parts. It seems that the taste is appealing to most animals. So throw your extra cucurbits to the cows or whatever animals you have around and see if they’ll eat them.
Antiparasitic Pumpkin Seeds??
I have read that toasted and ground pumpkin seeds have been used as an effective deworming agent against tapeworms and other intestinal parasites in dogs and humans, thanks to tetracyclic triterpenes which paralyze the worms and cause them to release their grip from the intestinal wall where they feed. You can try giving a teaspoon per ten pounds of body weight once or twice a day until rid of the parasites.
Speaking of pumpkin seeds….I was really excited when I came across an article a few years ago about a variety of pumpkin that grew seeds without the shells. They are called Styrian pumpkins and were developed long ago in Austria. One commercial name that I’ve grown is called “Godiva,” in reference to the naked woman on a horse, likening that to the naked seeds. Anyway….these are smaller fruits with hard thin shells that are not good for baking, but they contain about a cup of seeds that are good to eat. Just cut the pumpkin open, strain out the seeds with your fingers and roast them in the oven. Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.
Pumpkins for All Seasons
So you can see here that pumpkins and squash not only make a colorful fall decoration, but can be enjoyed year-round by both two and four-legged creatures for healthy and delicious eating.
Here are a couple recipes that you can try the next time you have some pumpkin on your hands.
Favorite Pumpkin Recipes
