Michelle Palmer: Pumpkins everywhere (recipe)

The first day fall was Sept. 22.

I have noticed pumpkins have been showing up at the stores and of course the pumpkin patches at a plethora of local farms. Pumpkins are unofficially known as the fall mascot. They can grow everywhere except Antarctica!

The top producers are India, Mexico, Ukraine and China. The U.S. produces 1.5 billion pounds every year. Pumpkins to carve are Jock-O-Lanterns. Ones to eat are actually called pumpkins or sugar pumpkins that are smaller like an acorn squash.

The five states that grow the most are California, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Texas.

Pumpkins were first named by the French explorer Jacques Cartier in 1584. He called them “gros melons” which translated to “pompions” in English which evolved into pumpkins and the first known use in literature was in the story Cinderella.

There are about 45 types of pumpkins in a variety of sizes and shapes from miniature to white and even green. Some are just for decorations while many are edible. Pumpkins are technically a fruit. They are a type of winter squash and closely related to the cucumber and melons. They are packed full of nutrition and nutrient-dense plus they are low in calories with one cup containing 49 calories and 49% of the daily needs for vitamin K, also vitamins C, E, and potassium, iron, folate, and niacin. They also contain lots of the antioxidant beta-carotene which is converted to vitamin A which in studies has shown to help fight off infections and prevent some age-related vision problems and may help protect the skin from harmful UV rays.

Pumpkins have been around for centuries. In colonial times the pumpkin was hollowed out and used as the crust for a pie. In my research I found that a can of pumpkin might not really be pumpkin even though the ingredient label says so. It is usually made of Dickson squash a relative of the butternut and acorn squash which the standard was set by the USDA for canned pumpkin back in 1957.

All the special “pumpkin” beverages hot and cold do have some pumpkin in them but it is real taste is the seasonings of “pumpkin spice” a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

The best way to make sure you are actually getting real pumpkin is to buy a 3-pound pumpkin which will give you the same amount of pumpkin puree as in a can of the store-bought stuff.

Each Pumpkin contains about 500 seeds. They are a nutritious and delicious snack. Unhulled pumpkin seeds can be roasted and eaten. They provide antioxidants, magnesium, zinc, iron, and fatty acids.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 ½ cups of pumpkin seeds

3 cups water

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven 300 degrees. Place seeds, water, salt in medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-high heat and gently boil 10 minutes. Dry on paper towel. Coat baking pan with extra-virgin olive oil; spread on sheet pan in single layer. Bake 20-30 minutes until lightly brown. Cool completely, enjoy!

Michelle Palmer is owner of Absolutely Michelle’s Chef-for-Hire.