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Pumpkins More Than a Holiday Decoration
Pumpkins More Than a Holiday Decoration
By Denise Miller
For the Albuquerque Journal
It's too bad so many of us think about pumpkins only during Halloween and Thanksgiving.
Pumpkin has fallen into that category of food that tends to be known in its canned form these days. Fine for some recipes (like a quick pie), it lacks the delicate taste of fresh. For culinary pleasures, such as pumpkin soup, pumpkin butter or pumpkin-stuffed ravioli, nothing replaces fresh.
Just ask Edgewood grower Kevin Urquhart, who brings pumpkins and heirloom squash to Los Ranchos Growers' Market.
"There are some great cooks who shop at that market, and people tend to know the difference. You're either sold on fresh or you're not," he said.
Some people swear by pie or sugar pumpkins. Look for ones between 2 and 6 pounds. They tend to have dense flesh and high sugar content.
Large jack-o'-lantern varieties tend to be stringy and not so sweet. Be sure not to eat them after they've been carved, as the cut surfaces breed bacteria.
Variety in squash
While most pumpkins have hard, woody, furrowed stems and a bright orange skin, winter squash run the gamut in color, shape and stem.
Most recipes that call for pumpkin will work well with winter squash. And, according to Urquhart, the heirloom varieties he sells are not only sweet, but will keep until spring if they are stored in a dark, cool place (about 50-55 degrees).
Most local growers' markets are winding down for the season. But if you get a chance, look for interesting squash with exotic names like the heirloom varieties Urquhart brings to market.
His popular French heirloom, Galeux D'Eysines, has a salmon-peach colored skin covered with large tan warts. The Jarrahdale is an Australian heirloom with blue-gray skin and heavy ribbing. The Juane Gros De Paris is a large, sweet, yellow-orange fruit. The Mosquee De Provence, an orange-brown color when ripe, is known for lasting in storage throughout winter. All are spectacular.
Be sure your pumpkin or squash is firm, doesn't have soft spots and has a 2-3 inch stem, Urquhart says. If the stem is missing, it is an entry point for rot.
The biggest challenges of cooking a large squash are cutting through the hard skin and using all of the flesh.
Use a large, sharp chef's knife and insert the tip of the knife into the squash. How you plan to use your pumpkin or squash will determine how to cut and to prepare it.
If you have small pie pumpkins and plan to serve the soup from shell, for example, you will cut around and discard stem, and scoop out the seeds from the top.
If you want cubes of pumpkin for stew, cut out the stem, cut your pumpkin into eighths, scoop and discard the seeds, pare away and discard the peel. Then cut the slices into ¾-inch cubes.
Purée is great for baking (pie, cheesecake and quick breads), using in soups, adding to oatmeal and making pumpkin butter.
Purée freezes well, which helps address what to do with an extra-large squash. Each pound of whole squash yields about 1 cup of purée.
PUMPKIN OR WINTER SQUASH PURÉE
This purée can substitute for an equal amount of solid-packed canned pumpkin in recipes. Storing in 1 or 2 cup measures makes it easy to add to any recipe.
Ingredients
1 pumpkin or winter squash
canola oil, as desired
1 cup water
Directions
Preheat oven to 375. Rinse pumpkin before baking to remove dirt and wipe dry. Split the pumpkin in half and remove seeds and fibers. Save seeds for toasting, if desired.
Rub the cut surfaces of the pumpkin with canola oil and place the halves (cut-sidedown) in a roasting pan. Add about a cup of water to the pan.
Bake until pumpkin flesh is tender when pierced. (Pie pumpkins take about 30 minutes. Large squash may take up to 90 minutes. Check regularly).
Remove the pumpkin halves from the oven and let cool. Scoop out the baked flesh.
Purée it in a food mill, food processor fitted with a chopping blade or mash by hand.
If the purée seems watery, place it in a sieve or colander lined with a double layer of cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Set it over a deep bowl. Cover and let drain for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
PUMPKIN BUTTER
This sweet spread is great on bread or an English muffin. It will keep up to six days in the fridge -- if it lasts that long.
Ingredients
1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
1 cup fresh puréed pumpkin/ winter squash
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, as desired
1 cup powdered sugar
Directions
Mix yogurt and pumpkin in a bowl. Add pumpkin pie spice. Stir in sugar. Taste. Adjust spice or sugar as desired.
Featured grower: Kevin Urquhart, Victory Lane Market Garden
Featured crop: Pumpkins, heirloom winter squash
Find him: Los Ranchos Growers' Market
Season: Pumpkins and winter squash can be found at local growers' markets until early to mid-winter (or when sold out)
