Each fall the Organic Farm in Portugal Cove, Newfoundland tries to have at least one pumpkin/ per family for the members of our CSA. It is a challenge to grow the 80 or so pumpkins we need for the number of families involved. The weather was especially cold and unpredictable this season (2008). In fact, in mid-September we covered the pumpkins, individually, one by one to protect them for the early cold and frost. Around this time, 120 kindergarten children came to visit the farm over a two day period seemed impressed when we told them we had to provide “coats” for the pumpkins and squash, just like their mothers insisted on them wearing coats outdoors when the weather is cold.

When we do not have the number of pumpkins we need, we offer a combination of beautiful winter squash to make up the numbers. This year, the squash and pumpkin were spread out in a long impressive line, along the edge of the grassy area, near the parking lot where we meet our CSA members. When Alison, the mother of a preschooler came for her weekly bag of goodies, she was excited to see the pumpkins and began to turn them, scrutinizing which one would make the best and perhaps the ugliest Jack-O-Lantern. She is a long standing member of the Veggie Coop, our buyers group, but we had never talked about pumpkins. When I told her that we discouraged using pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns because they are too precious to sit on the porch to rot, she patiently explained, “Oh, we don’t waste it. We carve at 5:30, scoop out the seeds for roasting, use a flashlight instead of candles because they are dangerous anyway, and pop it into the oven at 8:30 to bake to make those other wonderful things.”

I was relieved and felt this idea was worth sharing, along with ways to prepare pumpkin for and with children to encourage their interests. That’s what this article is about. It is meant to discourage using the pumpkin for purposes of play. Making Jack-0-Lanterns and leaving them on the porch to rot is only one example among a long list of things we do, with and for children which uses food for non-food activities. Making necklaces with cheerios, finger painting with pudding, potato printing and colouring rice and macaroni with food colouring for other art projects are only a few examples. It is important to find alternatives find alternatives to using food as something frivolous to be wasted for our pleasure, when, there are people around the world who are literally starving to death because they don’t have a cup of rice. In Canada, according to the annual Hunger Count, the number of children who go to bed hungry is on the increase. Imagine how a child must feel, when these materials/ food are put in front of him, so he can “make something nice” to take home to show his family.

Getting the Pumpkin Ready. There are two ways to relieve pumpkin of its skin.

(1) Child Friendly. Children as young as three can manage this activity with a little help after the pumpkin is cooled. Cut the pumpkin in half. Scoop out seeds for roasting. Bake upside down on a baking sheet. Test to see if it is tender with a knife or cooking fork. Cool. Remind the children to wash their hands, provide them with the best tool you have, usually a large tablespoon or medium size dipping spoon. Show them how to scoop and scoop and scoop, until they have all the flesh accounted for. Give some encouragement now and then. Collect is a wide bottom bowl. Show your helpers how to get the lumps out by using a potato masher or possibly hands. Yes, hands, squish, squish! Remember to use unbreakable measuring cup so they can measure as they work, without constant supervision. This assumes that you are in the kitchen, looking over your shoulder as you make sandwiches for lunch or peel vegetables for supper. Set aside the number of cups the recipe requires and freeze the rest. For freezing, you can put in, 1 cup per bag in zip lock bags and store flat in a stack. This gives the option of reaching in and getting a cup at a time. Of course, if you have favourite recipes, you can freeze the quantity to match the recipe. If the child is old enough, print out a sample for the label, i.e. 1 cup/ pumpkin. October, 2008. Use a black permanent market. Let them copy and stick on the labels on the packages. Masking tape will work but computer labels work best.

(2) Adult Friendly. Put the steamer on to begin heating. Peel and cut in chunks and toss in steamer, checking for tenderness with a cooking fork. Depending on the size of the steamer and the pumpkin, you may need to work it up in 3 or 4 batches. Cool by dumping on clean towel and freeze in chunks or transfer to food processor and puree, freezing what you don’t need.

RECIPES. The pumpkin pie recipe I have included is from the Moosewood Cookbook. It is not heavily spiced and makes a delicious pudding for children. Some of the recipes have been contributed by our CSA Members. When the source is known, they are noted.

ROASTING PUMPKIN SEEDS – Remove seeds. Rinse in bowl of clean water, rubbing to remove pulp with hands. Spread on clean cloth or paper towels to dry. This is another good job for little hands, but may require adult help and encouragement.

Nothing Fancy Roasted Seeds.
Preheat oven at 300 degrees. Ingredients. 1 l/2 cups raw, whole pumpkin seeds. 2 teaspoons butter, melted and 1 pinch salt. Toss seeds in a bowl with the melted butter and Salt. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden brown. Stir occasionally.

Sweet Pumpkin Seeds. ( All recipes.com) This takes l hr. to prepare.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Ingredients. 4 cups pumpkin seeds. Rinsed and dried. ½ cup margarine, melted, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup white sugar, divided. Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the pumpkin seeds, margarine, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Stir to coat the seeds. Spread the seeds in a single layer baking pan. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Stir and return to over for 15 more minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over the seeds; stir to coat. Return to oven and take another 15 minutes before removing to sprinkle with remaining sugar ands stirring. Bake another 15 minutes. Allow to cool before serving. Store in air tight container.

Pumpkin Pie (Moosewood Cookbook) / with pie crust suggestions for children.
Prepare large pie shell or buy 2 ready made frozen pie crusts. If you have time, use the Fail Proof Pie Crust recipe included.
1. Cut pumpkin in wedges remove seeds and bakes in small amount of water in oven until tender. 375 degrees/ 40- 50 minutes.
2. Remove meat of pumpkin from shell. Puree enough to make 3 cups. Freeze or refrigerate rest of pumpkin or other recipes.
3. Add ¾ C. honey 2 Tbsp. molasses l/4 tsp. powdered cloves
4. 3 tsp. cinnamon 1 ½ tsp. ginger 1 tsp. salt and 1 can evaporated milk
5. Pour into pie shell and bake 10 min. at 450 degrees. Reduce heat to 350F and continue baking 30- 35 (45min. or small (large) pies.
6. Or put in small tarts for children’s parties or serve as a pudding.
7. For dinner parties, can be served with heavy cream or ice cream.

No Fail Pie Crust. Allrecipes.com/ makes two crusts.
Forget the play dough! Making pie crusts is a safe hands on activity which can be managed by four year olds, with help. What odds if it is not as tender as grandma’s? If he starts young, his crust will be as tender as grandma’s, when he is as old as grandpa.

Ingredients: 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour. 1 cup shortening. 1 egg.
¼ cup cold water. l/4 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon white vinegar
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs. (Use a pastry blender or clean hands.)
2. Mix egg, water and vinegar together. Pour into flour all at once and blend with a fork until dough forms a ball.
3. Wrap with plastic and chill in refrigerator.
4. Cut in half. Work on lightly floured board with lightly floured rolling pan.
5. Sculpture dough to bottom and edges of pan. Fill with pie filling.
6. Add top crust. Press edges all around with fork. Trim.
7. Using a fork, make slits or your favourite jack-o-lantern face in top crust.
8. Trim and Bake.

Easy Freezy Pumpkin Pie. Allrecipes.com./ Makes16 servings.

“We made this recipe in third grade and the teacher sent a copy of the recipe home loved it so much I insisted my Mom make it, too. Ever since then it’s become a Thanksgiving tradition each year. It has lasted the test of time because I’m a mother her of a third grade and we still make it! The pie requires no baking! And the kids love it because it’s made of ice cream:”

Ingredients.
½ cup packed brown sugar ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened 2 (9 inch) graham cracker crusts.
Directions:
(1) In a large bowl, stir together the brown sugar, salt, pumpkin and cinnamon. Mix in the softened ice cream until blended. Spoon into the pie crust and place them in the freezer. Freeze at least 3 hours before serving. 16 servings.
(2) Or better yet, help the children make the pie crusts, using the directions on the graham cracker box.

Pumpkin Waffles or Pancakes. Canadian Living/ 8 adult servings
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour 1 ¼ tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. each nutmeg and salt
2 eggs
1 ¾ cups milk
¾ cup pumpkin puree
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp. Butter, melted vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
2 apples (skin on) sliced
½ cup, apple juice

Directions:
In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, 1/3 cup of the sugar, butter and vanilla; pour over dry ingredients. Stir just until moistened. Heat waffle maker, using l/2 cup batter per waffle. Meanwhile, in nonstick skillet, cook apples and remaining sugar over medium-high heat, stirring for about 3 minutes or until tender. Pour in juice, cook, stirring for 2 minutes or until syrupy and softened. Spoon over waffles.

Pumpkin Cookies (contributed by Judy Lien, Family Friend)
Ingredients:
1.5 cups of sugar – packed 1 cup margarine
1. 75 cups mashed or pureed pumpkin 2 eggs
2...75 cups of flour 1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 cup raisings 1 cup chopped peans (optional)
1 tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp salt ½ tsp ginger

Mix together and drop on baking sheet, using two spoons. (Another great job for children.) Take at 375F for 12 to 15 minutes.

WHAT? YOU DON’T LIKE PUMPKIN! TRY THIS!

PUMPKIN BREAD/ Contributed by Margaret Drover, CSA Member
Ingredients
3 1/3 cups Flour 1tsp Baking Powder 2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt 2 tsp Cinnamon 1 tsp Cloves
1 tsp Nutmeg 1 tsp Ginger
1 14 oz Can Pumpkin (Or Fresh and Steamed)
3 cups Brown Sugar 2/3 cup Milk 2/3 cup Vegetable Oil
2 Tbsp Molasses 4 large Eggs 1 cup Raisins
Directions
1. Mix dry ingredients together including raisins.
2. Combine brown sugar, pumpkin, milk, eggs, vegetable oil, molasses & eggs. Add to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
3. Divide into two loaf pans.
4. Bake at 350F for 50 60 minutes.

Melba’s Pumpkin Soup. Editorial Comments. I can’t really claim credit for this recipe. It is a Julie Childs recipe that I read in some magazine in a doctor’s office over 30 years ago. My old fashioned conscious does not let me steal magazines or even tear out pages, so I tried to remember the recipe so I could simulate it when I got home. However, the original recipe had “real” cream; a practice when I felt was extravagant. I use canned evaporated milk. The addition of the crunchy peanut butter is also mine, after attending an auction dinner from Planned Parenthood prepared by a woman from Indonesia about 20 years ago. She made a spicy peanut sauce which was served warm for dipping raw vegetables. Nowadays, I start off all my vegetable soups with chicken bullion cube and onions. Did I learn this from Julia Childs? I don’t remember, but I know it works well for various soups, i.e. carrots, rutabaga, turnip or celery soup.
Ingredients:
1. 2 cups chunked pumpkin or any kind of winter squash.
2. Add squash to 3 cups of water, one large onion and one or two chicken bullion cubes and a couple of cloves of fresh garlic, if available. And m
3. Cook until tender, cool and blend in food processor.
4. Return to pot. Sprinkle in a pinch of curry, salt, maybe a dash of cayenne pepper if you like a little zing.
5. Gradually stir in a can of evaporated milk.
6. Simmer on low heat, until hot enough for serving. If it is too thick, add a little 2% milk or water. If it seems too thin, simmer longer.
7. A few minutes before serving, stir in a level tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter, stirring constantly from the bottom until it is thoroughly mixed. We use organic peanut butter because it now available in most stores. If you choose not to add peanut butter, sprinkle with toasted sliced almonds, a dash of sour cream or garnish with parsley or pea shoots.

Argentine Pumpkin Soup/ from Sue Ross, Family Friend
Ingredients:
1. 1 lb. pumpkin or other winter squash cut into 1 inch cubes
2. 1 fresh chili, de-seeded and chopped finely
3. 1 onion, sliced 2 cloves garlic chopped 1 bay leaf
4. 2 cups tomato juice 2 3/4 cup of stock A little milk
5. 1 tbsp. margarine 1 tbsp chopped parsley Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Melt the margarine in a large saucepan and cook the onion until it begins to soften. Now put in the pumpkin, garlic, chili and bay leaf. Pour in the tomato juice and stock next. Bring to a boil. Allow to simmer, stirring from time to time for 20 minutes or until the pumpkin has softened. Transfer to a blender, adding a little milk if desired for a thinner mixture. Return to pan, season and heat through before servings. Garnish with parsley.

Pumpkin Halwa/ deepavalicelebrations.net

Halwa is a sweet dish often associated with the Deepavali Festival. This is a festival where Hindus of all ages participate in festivities that give expression to their happiness by lighting earthern diyas, decorating their houses, lighting fire cracker and inviting near and dear ones to their homes. The lighting of lamps is a way of paying obeisance to God for attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace, valour and fame... The word, Halwa is an Arabic word meaning sweetmeat. It is a typical North Indian dish with variations available in Middle East, Balkans and Mediterranean. The website says that the most common vegetables used are carrots, pumpkins and bottle gourds. The vegetables are peeled, scraped, grated coarsely. then cooked in water or milk until tender, then fried in Ghee. Apparently, it is not uncommon to find Halva sold as a packaged candy in some Jewish Stores in the U.S. .

Ingredients:
Grated Pumpkin – 2 ½ cups Milk – ½ cup Sugar – ½ cup
Honey – 1 cup Cardamon – 5 Cashew nuts – 10 Ghee – l/4 cup
Directions:
1. Roast the cashers in ghee until it becomes golden brown
2. In a pan, heat 1 tsp. ghee, add the grated pumpkin to it and stir well over low flame till the raw flavor is gone.
3. To this, add milk and cook till the pumpkin is tender. Add sugar, honey, stirring constantly with low flame.
4. Add roasted cashers and ground cardamom. Mix well and leave it for 5 minutes
5. Add 3 tsp ghee and stir well. Put on low flame till ghee floats. Serve hot.

This is a new dish for me but it is now on my to do list. If anyone makes Halwa for the Deepavali Day celebrations, please e-mail us. We will be delighted to add your comments to this recipe on our Website.