The great pumpkin
I’m waiting for the Great Pumpkin... to become edible again
The story of the great pumpkin and Jack O' Lantern reads like a fairy tale. However, there are many other curious facts about pumpkins.
The history and nutrional value of the Jack-o-Lantern
There once was a man nicknamed Stingy Jack, who invited the Devil to have a drink. Stingy Jack, always true to his name, refused to pay for the drinks. He was quick with his wits and convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin, so that Jack could pay for the drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money. He placed the coin into his pocket next to a silver cross, something that made it impossible for the Devil to change back. A deal was struck between the two, and Jack freed the Devil under the condition that he, the Devil, would leave Jack alone for 1 year and if Jack would die, the Devil had no claim on his soul. After a year, the Devil visited Jack, and Stingy Jack tricked the Devil into climbing a tree for a piece of fruit. Jack quickly carved a cross into the tree so that the Devil was unable to climb down. Jack wouldn’t allow the Devil to climb down without the promise of leaving Jack be for the next ten years.
Then Jack died. God wouldn’t allow such a tricky person into Heaven. And the Devil, though upset, kept his promise of not laying claim to his soul. Instead he sent Jack off into th dark night with only a burning piece of coal. Jack placed the coal onto a carved out turnip, and has roamed the Earth ever since. The Irish referred to their local ghost as Jack of the Lantern, and some simply called him, Jack O’ Lantern. Soon in Ireland and Scotland, people began to carve out scary faces in turnips or potatoes and placing them in their windows or near doors to scare off Jack, or any other wandering evil spirits. Large beets were used in England. And it wasn’t until Immigrants from these countries came to America and discovered that the native fruit, the pumpkin, made the perfect Jack O’ Lantern.
Native Americans dried strips of the pumpkin and wove them into mats. They also roasted long strips of pumpkin over an open fire and ate them. Pumpkin pies were discovered when the colonists sliced off the pumpkin top, removed the seeds, and filled the insides with milk, spices and honey. The pumpkin was then baked in hot ashes. The “Jack” Pumpkin has a long history in The United States. Recently though people have forgotten that the “Jack” is edible.
Two States have recently passed a non-food tax on the pumpkin. There are of course loop holes for this tax, but what we are missing here is that the pumpkin should be eaten. Not merely set up as a decoration, allowed to rot and tossed aside. The bright orange color of a pumpkin identifies it as being chalk full of beta-carotene. This is an antioxidant that is converted to vitamin A in the body. Research indicates that a diet rich in foods that contain beta-carotene, may help reduce the risks of developing certain types of cancer, offers protection against heart disease, and protects against the degenerative aspects of aging, an edible fountain of youth! One cup of cooked, boiled, drained, and without salt of pumpkin contains, 49 calories, 2 grams of protein, 3 grams of dietary fiber, not to mention Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc, Selenium, Vitamin C, Niacin, Folate, Vitamin A and E. And I thought the Sweet Potato Rocked!
Yet more and more people are turning to the pre-made pies, or the canned pumpkins, only using them in desserts or muffins. Preparing a pumpkin, an entire pumpkin, for the dinner table is easy and wonderfully rewarding. Find your pumpkin, they should be bright in color and free of cuts and gauges, and bruises. Once home, cut your pumpkin into fourths, removing all the seeds, and as much string as possible. Then place them into a large basting pan with enough water to barely covering the bottom. Heat oven to 350°F, and bake the pumpkin for 1 hour. Check on the to make sure there is still some standing water and the they are not burning. Remove from oven and allow them to cool. Once you can handle the pumpkin, scrap out the flesh, it should fall away from the rind easily. Careful that you don’t cut and scrape the outside skin away with the flesh. Some recipes, as my Pumpkin Sauce for Pasta, doesn’t require you to pre-bake the pumpkin. Other recipes like Pumpkin Ravioli, Pumpkin Butter, and for the dessert lovers, Pumpkin Cheesecake, require the pre-baking.
There are many varieties of pumpkin besides the Jack-O-Lantern, which falls into the Standard Orange (growing between 8 to 15 pounds) category. Many pumpkins will produce slightly different tasting foods. Just because a pumpkin is listed as a decoration, doesn’t mean you can’t eat it. Either for breakfast, lunch, dinner, a snack or dessert, the pumpkin is versatile and can accompany just about any dish. It has become edible once again.