Pumpkins

While pumpkins are technically winter squash, they really do seem to be in a category of their own.  The practice of carving a face on a pumpkin for Halloween comes from the United Kingdom where people cut turnips into lanterns for the holiday. Squashes were more plentiful in America; thus, a holiday tradition was born. Animated films like The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (adapted from Washington Irving’s ghost story) and Cinderella (think pumpkin to coach) helped cement the fantasy.

Typical carving or field pumpkins, grown specifically for Halloween, are thin-walled and porous to facilitate carving but are a challenge to turn into a quality culinary product. I know you want to be thrifty but if your goal, beyond making a mess of your kitchen, is a pie, you’re far better off having purchased a dense, thick-walled variety in the first place. The  Rouge Vif d’Étampes, gorgeous and bright orange-y red, is one worth looking for, but there’s a remarkable selection of winter squashes in the markets all fall.

Left whole and unblemished, a pumpkin bought in early autumn can be kept for several weeks, even months, in some cases. They can get huge — in 2023 a pumpkin weighing over 1,200 kg was recorded. Try to stay in the 2-3 kg (4-6 lbs) range, however.

Consider painting the pumpkin or pasting on colourful cut-outs with the kids. Lots of fun and, bonus, no sharp knives. At any rate, let’s assume you’ve bought a sugar or pie pumpkin for our annual spooky holiday and haven’t hacked it up too badly.

Even if all you have are bits and pieces, roasted puréed pumpkin freezes well and can be kept on hand for all sorts of uses. If you’re pressed for time, just cut raw pumpkin into large chunks and freeze to cook later. Or you can keep a tin or two on hand in the pantry — there’s absolutely nothing wrong with canned pumpkin purée! Not to go into too much detail, another reason to keep it on hand — a little pumpkin purée mixed in with your dog’s food can help with a sensitive stomach.

Pumpkins are a Halloween fixture, of course, but they offer us so much more. Pies, cookies, muffins and quick breads are just the beginning. Imagine ravioli filled with mashed pumpkin, brown butter and sage; whole baked squash stuffed with almost anything; rich ginger-y soup swirled with crème fraîche; risottos, curries … there’s a whole pumpkin universe to explore beyond the seemingly inescapable pumpkin spiced latte. Pumpkin pie spice, typically a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove and allspice, is ubiquitous in the fall and winter. While it can be comforting and certainly evokes the season, it can also be a little overwhelming when you see (and smell) it everywhere.

While you’re at it, don’t forget roasted and spiced pepitas or pumpkin seeds. Easy to make, simply clean the seeds, boil them in salt water before drying them, adding a splash of oil and seasoning before baking. Experiment with your favourite flavours by adding different seasonings to different batches. You can find a great recipe at savourcalgary.ca.

For dinner, a kilo sized pumpkin can be stuffed and baked just as easily as a pepper or a tomato. Cut a lid at the stalk end and scoop out the seeds along with all the stringy bits. Rub the pumpkin inside and out with oil, season well, and then bake until tender, about 45 minutes.  Loosely pack your preferred stuffing in the cavity and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, until everything is hot through. But what we really want is dessert. Let’s make doughnuts! These are deep fried but delicious, and we’re not pretending to count calories.

Grab the recipe for Pumpkin Fritters.