“Pondering the Great Pumpkin”

(Feature published in the Door County Advocate, a Gannett publication, on November 2, 2004)

(779 Words)

Before you decorate it, mutilate it, or smash it on the street, stop! Take a breath, turn it around, and consider your options… The pumpkin is one of the most fascinating, beneficial, and versatile fruits that exist. Judging by the popularity of the annual Pumpkin Patch Festival in Egg Harbor, many others think so, too. I’m surprised, however, that we don’t exploit it more.

The pumpkin is a fruit that belongs to a vine family known as “cucurbits.” Although pumpkins first appeared in Central America, they thrive best in North America and also grow in several other countries, as well. The word “pumpkin” is derived from the Greek word “pepon,” meaning “large melon.” According to the History Channel, the French pronounced it “pompon,” the English changed it to “Pumpion,” and American colonists changed the word again to our current pronunciation. Native Americans referred to it as “isquotm squash.”

Pumpkins, which typically mature in October, anchor two of our favorite holidays. Halloween features the pumpkin’s round shape as a jack-o-lantern. Its popularity as a spooky character originates from an old Irish story about revenge. In a battle of wits between God, the Devil, and a man named Stingy Jack, God and the Devil punished Stingy Jack for his trickery. After death, they banished him into the night “with only a burning coal to light his way…Jack put the coal into a carved out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with it ever since.” As the Irish, Scotch, and English re-told the story of “Jack of the Lantern,” they began carving spooky faces into turnips, potatoes, and beets and placing them in windows and doorways to ward off Stingy Jack’s evil spirit.

In November, our attention turns from the pumpkin’s shell to its pulp. Native Americans roasted pumpkin strips over campfires, to eat, or flattened and dried them to form mats. Early colonists cut their tops off, scooped out the seeds, and filled them with milk, spices, and honey, then baked them over hot coals. Rumor has it that this delicacy topped off the first Thanksgiving meal and inspired our present-day pumpkin pies.

Aside from its legendary role in Halloween lore and its appeal as an ingredient in pies, the pumpkin also offers many nutritional and healthful uses. Its deep, orange color indicates an abundance of vitamin A, a substance that aids in the development of strong vision, inhibits the development of heart disease and certain cancers, and slows some symptoms of the aging process. In addition, the pumpkin contains a generous amount of potassium, fiber, iron, and vitamins C and E.

Dieters may appreciate knowing that one cup of cooked pumpkin pulp contains only 49 calories. Of course, many of us prefer eating it in desserts, but its mild flavor provides a good base for soups and main dishes, just as eggplant and zucchini does. Although cooking with fresh pumpkin requires a bit more time, the difference in taste is worth the effort. After mashing, leftover pumpkin freezes well. The University of Illinois Extension Office recommends choosing the smaller, standard orange varieties of pumpkin for cooking, rather than the larger jack-o-lantern types.

Not much of the pumpkin needs to be wasted. Its seeds, with their nutty flavor, may be baked in butter and eaten or dried and used as oil for lighting. Their value further extends to medicinal uses—as a treatment for tapeworms, prostate cancer, and some urinary problems.

Pumpkin leaves may be used topically to soothe burns, and its flowers may be eaten.

If you prefer to think of the pumpkin as a decoration or an art project, several varieties and sizes are available. From the mini pumpkins, like Jack-Be-Littles, to the giants, like Big Max, that may weigh over 1,000 pounds, the odds are favorable that a perfect specimen will turn up to please the budding artist or professional carver. A pumpkin’s skin punctures easily, so if you’d rather not carve it, consider decorating with markers. Even in its natural state, the pumpkin makes a striking centerpiece for a door stoop or window.

Whether we value the pumpkin for its nutrition, its taste, or its appearance, children probably appreciate it the most. A child loves to scoop out its slimy seeds almost as much as adults dislike this activity. Whether he helps or not, however, the gleam in a child’s eye as he watches Dad or Mom carve a face or lovingly creates one of his own makes the mess and bother worthwhile. Helping a child sculpt her masterpiece or allowing her a hand in the creation of a pumpkin pie provides quality time for families and ample opportunities for learning, as well as inspiring many forms of entertainment. It is clear that the pumpkin is surely a “jack-of-all-trades” and a master of many.

Sidebar or Just the Facts:

“In early colonial times, pumpkins were used as an ingredient for the crust of pies, not the filling.”

“Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites.”

“Pumpkins are 90% water.”

“Pumpkins are used as animal feed.”

(taken from the University of Illinois Extension website:http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/pumpkins/facts.html)