Country Kitchen:
Pumpkin Time of Year
By Mary Emma Allen
These orange globes of autumn dot the fields and gardens. They're stacked
in piles around farm stands. My husband and I saw a church yard colored
orange by the multitudes of pumpkins for a fund raising sale.
Children carve or paint laughing faces on pumpkins to display for
Halloween. That was a high point of my childhood and for my daughter and
grandchildren.
Pumpkin Costume
I recall the "Big Pumpkin" of my youth which my sister used as a
Halloween costume. We cut a hole in the bottom instead of top, scooped
out the seeds, and carved a face. Then Sister draped herself in a sheet
as a ghost. She placed the pumpkin over her head.
I used a variation of this idea for my story, "Mama's Prize Pumpkin," in
my children's anthology, TALES OF ADVENTURE & DISCOVERY. I drew a picture
to accompany the story, which also appears in a coloring book and on
posters.
(If anyone would like a bookmark with the pumpkin head character on it,
e-mail me and I'll let you know where to send a self-addressed, stamped
envelope.)
Pumpkins in History
The more practical use of pumpkins is for food and dates back to the
natives of the Americas. These people grew pumpkins and squash and
developed many ways to prepare them. Then they taught these foodways to
the early settlers.
Originally, it's believed pumpkins were grown by natives in Central
America, then adopted as a food by those of North America. Their various
methods of preparation included baking, boiling, making it into a soup,
drying it, and grinding pumpkin into meal which they used for making
breads.
For winter use, the natives cut the pumpkins into rings and strips and
hung them to dry.
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin pie has been associated with Thanksgiving menus since the 17th
century. It's believed the first pies were made by scooping out the seeds
from the center of the pumpkin and then filling it with milk and
seasonings, maple syrup or molasses. The pumpkin was baked until tender.
Poet John Greenleaf Whittier wrote about pumpkin pies. Mention of pumpkin
pie, pudding, and other dishes is found in other writings and diaries.
Pumpkin pies come in many varieties today. Some cooks like to use the
fresh pumpkins, cutting them up, cooking and mashing them for a pie
filling. Others use canned pumpkin.
You also can mix pumpkin with other ingredients for pie variations. This
includes stirring a package of mincemeat into your pie recipe. Or you can
create a chiffon pumpkin pie by making a gelatin custard mixture and
stirring cooked pumpkin into it. Then turn into baked pie shell and top
with whipped cream or whipped topping.
FROZEN PUMPKIN PIE is another variation. Stir 1 pint vanilla ice cream to
soften. Spread in a baked 9-inch pie shell. Freeze ice cream in shell
until firm.
Mix together 1 cup canned or fresh cooked pumpkin, 3/4 cup sugar (1/2 cup
if you don't want it so sweet), 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1/4
teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg. (Spice amounts may vary depending
on individual taste.) Fold in 1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows and 1 cup
heavy cream, whipped (or whipped topping).
Spoon onto ice cream layer. Sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired.
Freeze until firm.
When serving, take from freezer and let it stand in the refrigerator for
10 to 15 minutes. Top with more whipped topping, if desired.
(C) 2003 Mary Emma Allen
About the Author
Mary Emma Allen has been writing her "Cooking Column" for newspapers
and online publications for 30 years and
has compiled a family cookbook. She’s currently compiling a
cookbook/story book,
"Tales From a Country Kitchen." Visit her web site for more cooking
articles. Contact her at me.allen@juno.com
