Eat That Pumpkin!
Today is Samhain, which you might know as Halloween! No matter what you call it, it’s Pumpkin Season.
There are pumpkins everywhere, on front stoops, on dining room tables, even in some folk’s bathrooms.
Maybe you’ve got a few hanging around??
They certainly make great décor, but what to do with them when the festivities are over??
Cook them. (As long as they aren’t actually shellacked decorative gourds.)
Oh yes, roast those babies and turn the flesh into something delicious.
Pumpkin is a versatile and tasty fruit.
Record Scratch
Yes, they’re a fruit and like all winter squashes, they are related to cucumbers and melon.
Despite their lineage, they’re super versatile because they lend themselves to both savory and sweet dishes and the flavour is mild enough that you can go in many directions: soups, pie, curry, bread . . .Even roasted in cubes and added to pasta!
From the Ayurvedic perspective, cooked pumpkin is dry, cold, moderately heavy, and sweet. This means it pacifies both vata (air and ether) and pitta (fire and water).
If you suffer from constipation it is best to be careful with pumpkin. Even though one cup of pumpkin has 7 grams of fiber, the dry quality can exacerbate constipation. Cooking it with spices and plenty of oil can help to balance out the dryness.
Pumpkin is quite nourishing and can be helpful in conditions where malnutrition is present.
I like pumpkin especially for its grounding and comforting properties. It can help to combat fatigue and it gives a sense of satisfaction.
Pumpkins are easy to roast as long as it fits in your oven. I use this method:
Set your oven to 400
Put your pumpkin into a roasting pan (or a sheet pan) that you have converted in foil.
Put it into your oven ( you don’t have to wait for it to preheat) and cook until you can easily stab it with a knife. How long this will take depends on the size of your gourd.
Let cool in the oven until you can handle it without burning yourself
Cut your pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds. (Rinse these and roast them!)
Scrape the flesh from the skin and either eat immediately or freeze it for later use.
What’s your favourite way to use pumpkin?
