Learn how to use fresh pumpkin and the best methods for storing pumpkins whole or processed. Includes recipes for roasted pumpkin seeds and creamy pumpkin pie.
When most of us think of pumpkins, we tend to limit our conjuring to visions of spicy pies and eerily glimmering jack-o’-lanterns. Actually, though, the bright round gourds have served a number of additional purposes — gastronomic and otherwise — since … well, since before recorded history.
In fact, archaeologists have found the remains of pumpkins among the relics left by ancient cliff dwellers. And when Europeans first arrived on these shores, they were quick to learn — from Native Americans — to plant the distinctive squash between hills of corn, discovering that their sprawling vines served as a living mulch and helped keep the maize fields free of weeds. The early settlers apparently developed “orange thumbs” in this regard, too. Samuel Eliot Morison (an expert on the period) writes in his book The Story of the “Old Colony” of New Plymouth that the pumpkins harvested prior to that first Thanksgiving were piled “in great golden heaps alongside the houses”.
Cooking Whole Pumpkins
Of course, back in those days folks were wise enough to make an effort to get the maximum use out of everything they had, and the lowly pumpkin was no exception. Some accounts actually report that early New England barbers — when they couldn’t find a cap or bowl for the purpose — simply hollowed out a small pumpkin shell and fit it over the hair of a customer as a make-do shearing guide (hence the expression “pumpkin head”).
PHOTO: JACK MCQUARRIE
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And, as you’d imagine, settlers cooked up all kinds of pumpkin recipes: They dried the gourds and ground them into flour, they baked or steamed the shells and — after pressing the cooked pulp through a sieve and adding sweetening and spices — put up jars of pumpkin butter. They also prepared puddings and soups and wines and dozens of other dishes from the squash, as well. (In 1672, author John Josselyn reported in his journal, New England Rarities Discovered, that stewed pumpkin makes a nice accompaniment to “fish or flesh” but observed that the vegetable “provokes urine extremely and is very windy”.)
All in all, then, this food is certainly versatile enough to deserve a more prominent place in the contemporary North American kitchen. For one thing, pumpkin ranks among the richest of domestic produce nutritionally: A half-cup contains only 27 calories, but yields a whopping 2,500 units of vitamin A, and considerable quantities of B complex and C vitamins, too — along with generous amounts of phosphorus, calcium, and iron.
Interestingly enough, relatively few cooks today know how to use fresh pumpkin as a substitute in virtually any recipe calling for winter squash. Botanically speaking, edible pumpkin species — Cucurbita pepo — includes summer squash, too, but the “symbols of Halloween” themselves are closer in texture and flavor to, and therefore more appropriate alternates for, winter varieties.
As a matter of fact, because pumpkin tends to take on the dominant flavors of whatever ingredients it’s cooked with, you can use it as the basis for many different dishes — particularly those that are highly spiced. For example, next time you crave some banana nut bread and don’t have any of the tropical fruit on hand, remember that you can substitute pumpkin puree for bananas in quick breads.
When to Harvest Pumpkins
I hope I’ve convinced you to try to increase your use of this tasty, healthful vegetable, because early fall is the beginning of the season when fresh pumpkins are abundant ( and inexpensive). If you’re growing your own, do wait till after the first frost, then cut the orbs from their vines, leaving about one inch of stem on each. But don’t bring the harvest inside immediately. Instead, let the fruit “cure” in the field for two to three weeks (unless you’re hit by an extended rainy spell, in which case you should get the golden globes under cover to prevent rot).
If you’re buying a pumpkin, choose a specimen with a firm skin and stem. The small “sugar” varieties are best for cooking, but just about any size can be used in most dishes. There’s no reason, for example, why you can’t purchase a pumpkin of substantial girth to be carved into a jack-o’-lantern and then recycled, after Halloween, into a tasty meal or two.
Storing Pumpkins: Whole, Canned, or Dried
It isn’t necessary that you eat your entire supply of pumpkin right away. Storing pumpkins is easy, as one of this vegetable’s greatest advantages is its easy preservability. The gourds don’t keep quite as well in a root cellar as do thicker-skinned winter squash, but if handled gently so that they don’t bruise, and stored — off the ground and not touching one another — in a cool (50° to 60°F) moisture-free location, they should stay fresh for up to three months. (Do wipe the cellared fruit with a cloth from time to time, though, otherwise, the moisture resulting from condensation could lead to decay.)
Of course, storing pumpkins whole isn’t your only option; you can also freeze or can pumpkin by following the instructions in any good cookbook or food-preservation text. As an alternative, though, you might want to try a handy traditional southern method for drying pumpkins. Just scoop out the insides and slice the fruit into inch-wide rings, then peel the circles and hang them on a horizontal broom handle or stick near your stove or — when the weather’s good — outside.
If you let the rounds dehydrate until they’re tough and leathery, and then store them in airtight containers (or simply hang them in a warm, dry place), they’ll keep for quite a long time. But remember, if you use this preservation method you will have to cook the food at length — as much as several hours — to restore it to a palatable consistency.
How to Use Fresh Pumpkin: Seeds
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe
I often wonder how many thousands of pounds of delicious pumpkin seeds are thrown away each year by folks who are anxious to scrape out the “gunky stuff” and get to work carving their jack-o’-lanterns! I hope you won’t be among those unfortunate individuals this season because it’s a simple matter of learning how to use fresh pumpkin seeds by turning those “worthless” kernels into a terrific taste treat for the entire family.
If you like sunflower kernels, you’ll probably love roasted pumpkin (or squash, for that matter) seeds. Incidentally, you can eat them shells and all. Better yet, besides being downright delectable, the food makes an exceptionally nutritious high-energy snack: An ounce of roasted pumpkin seeds yields 160 calories, eight grams of protein, three milligrams of iron, and substantial quantities of B vitamins to boot!
Ingredients
- Fresh pumpkin pulp with seeds
- 2 tablespoons melted butter or oil (or more to taste)
- Salt and or herbs to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the seeds in water to wash away the strands of pulp, and then — after letting them dry — scatter about two cupfuls on an oiled cookie sheet or shallow baking pan.
- Sprinkle the seeds with a couple of tablespoons of melted butter or salad oil, and — if you wish — a teaspoon or so of salt or herbs
- Bake them in a slow (250 degrees Fahrenheit) oven until they’re crisp. (You may want to turn up the heat for the last five minutes to brown them nicely.)
Pumpkin Seed Drink Recipe
Strange as it may sound, you can also make a healthful drink from pumpkin seeds.
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin pulp with seeds
- 3 cups water or fruit juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon parsley or mint
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients together and the mixture in a blender.
- When the shells are pulverized, strain the concoction.
- Store the liquid in the refrigerator until you’re thirsty!
Other Uses for Pumpkin
In addition to its better-known culinary characteristics, the pumpkin serves a variety of other practical purposes. Much of this country’s crop is sold for stock feed. In Europe the seeds are pressed to produce a much-cherished cooking oil. Some say, too, that the leaves from a pumpkin plant can provide an effective fly repellent for cattle when crushed and rubbed on the animals’ backs and necks. You can even make a nifty wind instrument from a pumpkin vine: Just choose a sturdy eight- or ten-inch length of hollow stem and then — at a point about an inch from one end — carve a 1/4-inch hole and (a few inches farther down) three or four additional bores spaced about an inch apart. Then play the gadget as you would a fife!
One thing’s for sure: No matter what you use your pumpkins for this year, you’ll be joining the ranks of individuals who — over the decades and centuries and millenniums — have learned that this humble, easy-to-grow squash is a faithful provider, and a true friend to those seeking sustenance and pursuing the path of self-sufficiency. And that, perhaps, is precisely what makes the pumpkin great.
How to Use Fresh Pumpkin for Pie
We’ve printed a prodigious number of recipes within the pages of this magazine over the years, but few have elicited as much praise from palate-pleased readers as did the pumpkin pie “receipt” submitted to us by Esther Shuttleworth, mother of the founder of this publication. We first revealed Mrs. Shuttleworth’s secret in issue 41’s foldout and — in honor of the approaching Thanksgiving season — reprint Esther Shuttleworth’s “Pumpkcream” Pumpkin Pie recipe here.
“Most pumpkin pies are too spicy and ‘pumpkiny’ for my family,” says Mrs. Shuttleworth, “but they love this one!”
This recipe calls for an unbaked pie crust. If you don’t have any pie dough on hand, we’ve got you covered with recipes for lard pie crust, vodka pie crust, and even gluten-free pie crust.
Esther Shuttleworth’s “Pumpkcream” Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon of cloves (optional)
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup of pumpkin puree (you can use canned or fresh pumpkin puree)
- 1 cup of thick sweet whipping cream
- Unbaked pie crust
Instructions
- Combine all the dry ingredients, and beat in the two eggs till the mixture is fluffy.
- Stir in the pumpkin and then the whipping cream. Continue stirring until thoroughly blended.
- Pour it into an 8 inch (1-1/4 inch-deep) pastry-lined piepan, and bake it at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.
- Then reduce the heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and bake the pie for approximately 30 more minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the filling comes out clean. While in the oven, the “pumpkream” will rise, then fall somewhat and — when it’s nearly done — develop little “good pie” cracks along the edges.
EDITOR’S NOTE: If you’re interested in expanding your repertoire of delicious pumpkin-based dishes, you’d do well to latch onto a delightful little cookbook by Erik Knud-Hansen entitled Pumpkin Happy. The illustrated 54-page paperback contains recipes for dozens of tasty-sounding foods — from pumpkin garlic soup and pumpkin fritters to soufflé, custard, ice cream, breads and biscuits, and wine (just to name a few!).
Originally published as “The Great Pumpkin” in the September/October 1982 issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS magazine and regularly vetted for accuracy.
